Broken Bridges, Mended Hearts II
by Elly3981
Summary: After discovering that her orphanage brother, Mikaela Hyakuya still lives, Yuichiro is determined to save him from the vampires but as the human-vampire war rages on, she becomes faced with the choice of betraying her guardian or forsaking her childhood friend. (Fem!Yuu AU, alternate version of the Nagoya arc)
1. What I Have Given You

****Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is a continuation of my fem!Yuu AU series and is an alternate version of the Nagoya arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Since this story is also a direct sequel to my first two fics "Who She is Within" and "Broken Bridges, Mended Hearts", I strongly recommend reading them first before starting this one because I will be making many references to them. Once again, I would like to thank my beta reader, ResidentialPsycho, for her help in making this fic possible. I would also like to thank Kumi of Twitter/Tumblr for drawing the lovely cover art which can also be found on my Twitter/Tumblr/DeviantArt pages. Enjoy and please review!****

 ** **Broken Bridges, Mended Hearts II****

 ** **Chapter 1: What I Have Given You****

 ** **November 8, 2020****

 ** **Japanese Imperial Demon Army Headquarters, Shinjuku Branch Library****

Yuichiro Hyakuya sighed in frustration as she set down the book she was reading and picked up the cup of hot chocolate on the table next to it before taking a sip. Ever since she was released from the hospital, the ravenette had been spending nearly all her free time at the JIDA headquarters library studying books on vampires, trying to find out everything she could about the monsters that were now at war with humanity for control of the world.

Fortunately, the library had information about vampires in abundance and as Yuichiro skimmed through book after book, she was surprised to learn many things about the bloodsuckers she so hated as a child that she never knew before.

Things such as how they were unaffected by garlic, holy water, and crosses like the ancient legends claimed though they truly did have a strong aversion to sunlight. Young and weak vampires would be killed instantly if they ventured out into the sun unprotected while older and stronger ones could survive but would suffer immensely.

Other interesting new things Yuichiro learned was how they could not reproduce like humans, would always look the same age as when they were turned, and how their hair would always remain the same length as well. The last detail was most peculiar since it did explain why older vampires such as Krul Tepes, Ferid Bathory, and Crowley Eusford did not, or more accurately, could not sport modern hairstyles, especially if they were born and turned during times when it was fashionable for men and women to have much longer hair than they did today. *****1*****

Although Yuichiro grew to like long hair, she couldn't imagine not being able to cut and keep her hair short if she wanted and thought the idea of a vampire's hair taking only minutes to grow back to its original length instead of months like a human's, was creepy. And crazy as it sounds, she actually found herself pitying any vampire who might have had a bad haircut before being turned since it meant that they would be stuck with a crappy hairdo for all eternity. The thought made her laugh for a moment before she became serious again. As interesting as this new information was, none of the books Yuu had read in the library so far had the answer she actually sought: how to make her orphanage brother, Mikaela Hyakuya, human again.

As she thought of Mika, Yuu smiled sadly. After leaving him behind in Sanguinem to save herself all those years ago, she had been wracked with guilt as she often thought about what he would be like if he had survived and grown as she had. Never did Yuichiro think she would find the answer to her question when she ran her sword though the blond young man who tried to kill Guren during the Battle of Shinjuku.

Even though she had not seen Mikaela in years, Yuichiro recognized him almost instantly the moment she got a good look at his face up close but he was not the boy she remembered. The last time Yuu saw her orphanage brother, he was bleeding profusely from a gaping hole in his chest inflicted by their benefactor and his right arm had been sliced clean off his torso, injuries that would have been impossible for a human to survive. Yet the young man before her looked very much alive, not to mention in perfect physical condition with two working arms as well as a pair of sharp fangs poking out from his lips.

Yuichiro tried to brush it off as a figment of her imagination, a hallucination caused by the stress of battle but when Mikaela tried to kidnap her while claiming that she was being used by the "humans", she finally realized the terrifying truth.

Her blond orphanage brother was no longer human, but a vampire himself, one of the very creatures she hated with all her being since it was a vampire who destroyed everything she held dear before she was rescued and taken in by Guren Ichinose.

"So here you are again. I'd thought I find you here when you were nowhere to be seen in the women's dormitory."

Startled, Yuichiro looked up from her seat to see her squad leader, who was like the annoying little sister she never wanted, standing before her.

"Shinoa, I didn't hear you come in. How long were you standing there?"

"Oh, like about five minutes or so. You were so preoccupied with what you were reading that you didn't even notice me come in."

Annoyed that the other girl had been practically spying on her, Yuichiro gave her a none-too-pleased look.

"What do you want, Shinoa? Can't you see I'm busy now? If it's not important, go away, please."

Shinoa laughed as if she found the other girl's demand amusing rather than insulting.

"Now, now, that's no way to speak to your squad leader. I've come to check up on you and as I do recall, your guardian said that you are not to be up and about until you've completely recovered from your injuries."

Yuichiro snorted. "In case you and Guren haven't noticed, I'm not a fragile little girl and you know as well as I do that our demon weapons speed up our natural healing and regenerative abilities; I'm perfectly fine now."

"Well, that's for the doctor to decide, not you," the purple-haired girl said as she refrained from mentioning the true cause of Yuichiro's coma and inability to remember almost anything she did during the Battle of Shinjuku. When Shinoa saw Yuichiro regard her with suspicion, she decided to change the subject.

"Anyway, what are you reading? Something hot and steamy?" Shinoa teased with a wink as she stepped closer and quickly snatched the book Yuichiro was reading from the table before opening it to the part where she had left her bookmark. And what Shinoa saw was not an erotic story like she expected, but a section on human-vampire conversion which quickly wiped the teasing smile off her face as she looked back to her friend. Although Yuu did not say so, Shinoa knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Yuu… have you been in here all this time trying to find a way to make Mika human again? If that's the case, I might have some helpful information; do you want to hear it?"

As soon as she heard that, Yuichiro's eyes lit up. "Really? In that case, tell me what you know!"

Shinoa laughed when she heard excitement in the other girl's voice. "Aww, you can be so cute and obedient when you want something!"

Yuichiro scowled. "Stop playing around, Shinoa!" she snapped and to her surprise, her squad leader did just that which stunned her since it was so rare for Shinoa to do anything she asked of her unless it was something serious.

Returning her face to a neutral expression, the purple-haired girl continued. "First of all, it's rare that a human becomes a vampire; the bloodsuckers like to keep their ranks tight and their numbers small. More importantly, within vampire society, the nobles are the only ones with the authority to turn a human."

Yuichiro was startled at the revelation. "You mean it wasn't by chance that Mika was turned? He was chosen?"

As she asked this, the ravenette recalled the painful expression on her brother's face when she asked him if he was no longer human. Yuichiro knew Mikaela hated vampires as much as she did and would never willingly allow himself to be turned into one.

Unless it was the only way he could live on and search for her.

Shinoa seemed to have sense her thoughts. "Do you know a noble who might have picked him?"

Yuichiro nodded as her thoughts wandered back to Ferid Bathory. "I think I do. At first, I thought Mika was turned by force, but now I'm not so sure. He must have had a good reason if he allowed himself to be turned."

Although Yuu neglected to mention what that reason was, both she and Shinoa already knew.

"That wouldn't surprise me at all," Shinoa said. "In fact, __very__ few humans, if any, would ever __want__ to become a vampire. Unlike us, they cannot eat or drink anything but blood and are constantly thirsty for it. They cannot enjoy sunlight or go outside during the day without sun protection, produce children, or grow and change over time."

"I know."

"Did you also know that humans who were turned unwillingly are usually those unfortunate enough to capture a vampire's fancy? When a vampire desires a human, they will pursue that human relentlessly to the point of obsession."

"But didn't you say that vampire law allows only nobles to turn humans?"

"Yes, but you should also know that vampires break laws just as much as we do if they want something bad enough. Yes, only nobles are __permitted__ to turn humans and only for the purpose of replacing their fallen soldiers. But this law has been broken more often than not when a vampire falls in love with a human and cannot bear to lose that human to age and death. If the human feels the same way for the vampire who wants them, they may allow themselves to be changed willingly but most do not and those turned unwillingly grow to hate their creators as well as humans for we remind them of what they've lost."

As shocking as Shinoa's revelation sounded, it actually made sense once Yuichiro really thought about it. She had always wondered why the vampires back in Sanguinem treated humans with such contempt and always thought it was because they believed themselves superior and that humans were nothing more than animals that exist only to feed and serve them. But Shinoa's explanation made Yuu realize the reason many vampires hate humans was probably because they secretly envied them. Did Mikaela also feel the same way?

"What about the common vampire soldiers? How are they chosen?"

"They are turned by nobles who search battlefields during times of war for dying human soldiers abandoned by their comrades and superiors. Those vampires also grow to hate us as well because of the betrayal they suffered at the hands of their fellow humans."

When she noticed Yuichiro lapse into silence as if trying to contemplate what she had just heard, Shinoa continued. "You know, it's our duty to destroy vampires—all of them."

The other girl shook her head. "No, not him. All this time, I thought Mika was dead but now that I know he's alive, you must tell me how I can make him human again."

Shinoa shook her head sadly. "Unfortunately, there is currently no known way to reverse vampirism and to my knowledge, no vampire has ever been able to become human again. Believe it or not, it's actually army policy to kill any soldier who has been turned by the enemy. My brothers refer to them as 'mercy killings', the notion that we're actually doing those soldiers a favor. Personally, I think it's a load of crap; the higher-ups simply don't want to exert time, effort, and resources to find a cure for vampirism." *****2*****

"Oh… I see…"

Sensing the other girl's disappointment, Shinoa quickly tried to lift her spirits for she did not want Yuichiro to lose hope. "However, that doesn't mean there __isn't__ a way for a vampire to become human again. I believe that the way to change Mika back does exist somewhere; we just have to find it."

Upon hearing that, the ravenette smiled. Her squad leader might be an annoying pain in the ass sometimes, but Yuu had to admit that Shinoa had a talent for giving others hope.

As if reading her thoughts, Shinoa reached for the gold heart-shaped locket Yuichiro wore around her neck, taking the delicate piece between her fingers.

"I've never seen you look so hopeful, Yuu. It's almost as if you've found a whole new reason to live. Tell me, is this pretty piece a gift from your handsome prince?"

Knowing that Shinoa meant Mikaela, Yuichiro blushed. "Yes… he gave it to me as a birthday gift when I turned twelve."

"It's real gold, isn't it? And I bet the ruby in the center is real too! The craftsmanship is exquisite; how on earth was Mika able to get something like this in Sanguinem?"

"Well… he bought it."

"How? This locket must have cost a fortune! And no offense, but I doubt livestock children have that kind of money."

"They don't. And Mika didn't. He bought this from our vampire benefactor and not with money, but his blood."

"Oh…" Shinoa exclaimed as she let go of the locket.

Yuichiro closed her eyes as she clutched the trinket tightly in her fist to her heart.

"I treasure this locket very much, not because it's real gold but because it came from Mikaela, because he risked his life for it. The noble he bought it from was very wealthy and the more valuable his gifts and favors were, the more blood he expected in payment. And he almost sucked Mika dry for this locket."

Shinoa took in a sharp breath upon hearing Yuichiro's confession. Since they had met, the other girl had always been extremely secretive about her past and to hear Yuu reveal something so personal was surprising indeed; it made Shinoa feel that her comrade was finally starting to trust her.

"Yuichiro… you don't really think of Mikaela as a brother, do you?" she asked curiously.

The ravenette blushed. "Well, I…" Yuu shifted uncomfortably in her seat, unsure of how to answer her squad leader when they both heard a voice over the library intercom.

 ** **"**** ** _ _ **Special Private Yuichiro Hyakuya, report to the first office immediately."**__**

"Hmm? I wonder what Guren wants now?" Yuu asked curiously, her discomfort completely forgotten.

Shinoa shook her head. "No, it's probably the Hiragi family who summoned you."

Yuichiro raised an eyebrow "The Hiragis? You mean the leaders of the Demon Army that got Japan back on her feet after the world went to crap?"

Shinoa nodded. "You really shouldn't keep them waiting. Go now…"

Yuichiro sighed and got up from her seat. As she was about to walk out the door, a thought came to her. Turning to her squad leader, she asked.

"Wait a minute, Shinoa, isn't Hiragi your last name? And Shinya's too?"

As if in answer, Shinoa laughed. "Ah, so you've finally figured out my secret! Took you long enough! I'm not just a sergeant, I'm basically royalty!" she joked before becoming serious again. "Anyway, if you want me to be honest, my father and brothers can be extremely intense and judgmental people, so be careful, ok?"

Yuichiro raised a brow at her squad leader's comment. Was Shinoa actually implying that her own blood relatives are wolves in sheep's clothing? If she had time, Yuu would have asked but knowing that it would be unwise to keep the Hiragi top dogs waiting, she merely nodded her head in acknowledgment and left the library without another word.

 ** **SSSSSS****

After leaving the library, Yuichiro was about to pass the courtyard of the JIDA Shinjuku branch headquarters to get to the first office when she suddenly heard a voice from behind her.

"What's the rush, Yuu? Where do you think you're going so early in the morning?"

Startled, Yuichiro gasped softly before turning around and saw Guren standing right behind her. Like herself, he was clad in a new JIDA uniform since his previous one had been torn up during the Battle of Shinjuku. Guren's unexpected appearance out of nowhere made Yuu realize she had been in such a hurry to get to her destination that she failed to even notice him.

"Guren? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be resting? From what I saw and heard, you were banged up pretty good back on the field."

As soon as he knew he had her full attention, Guren smirked. "I thank you for your concern, Yuu, but I am not so weak that I would require a whole week to recover like yourself. Anyway, I'd like to know why you're in such a hurry to meet the Hiragis?"

Yuichiro scowled. As used as she was to her guardian's snide comments, she was not in the mood to hear them now.

"What, did you expect me to just ignore them?" she demanded.

Instead of answering her question, Guren slowly approached her and for some reason, Yuichiro felt the slight urge to back away but held her ground. As soon as he was close enough, the older man leaned forward slightly and placed an arm behind her back. Yuichiro felt goosebumps rising on her skin when Guren curved his fingers slightly and slowly raked his nails down her back in a diagonal pattern, right over the scars from the wounds Ferid Bathory inflicted upon her after she had managed to shoot him before finally escaping the vampire city for good. Her guardian's unexpected touch made Yuichiro nervous how he knew exactly where they were, even under her uniform despite never seeing the scars himself, only hearing about them from Sayuri and Shigure.

"Do you remember the night you ran away from Sanguinem with nothing more than those shoddy clothes on your back and that little locket you're so fond of? What do you think would have happened if I had not been there? How long do you think you would have lasted outside the city by yourself with those painful injuries and no access to food and water? A few days? A week at most? Starvation and illness are very slow and painful ways to die, Yuu. If the cold did not claim your life, then hunger or infection from those nasty cuts on your back would have sooner or later. And that's assuming some rogue vampire didn't smell the blood and hunt you down like an animal first."

Yuichiro shuddered as images of that horrible night flashed through her mind again, making her recall the terrible pain of Ferid's razor-sharp talons cutting into her back like knives. She didn't need to be told or reminded of what her fate might have been if Guren, Sayuri, and Shigure had not been there to save her when they did.

Knowing that he had Yuichiro right where he wanted her, Guren smugly continued.

"I see you still remember that night vividly. I do too. I took you into my home, had my retainers treat your injuries, and fed and sheltered you ever since. I also taught you the way of the sword so that the Demon Army would accept and give you a shot at getting your revenge against the vampires. After all this time, don't you think you should repay me for my generosity?"

Not knowing what the older man was getting at, Yuichiro thought it best to remain cool and calm before answering.

"What do you mean, sir? Is my performance on the battlefield not to your satisfaction? I'd give my life for any of my comrades, even Mitsuba."

To this, Guren laughed softly. "I know you would, Yuu; I'm not questioning your bravery. What I want to know is where your loyalties lie."

"My loyalties?"

Annoyed that his ward was playing dumb with him Guren removed his arm from her back and squeezed her shoulders tightly until he can see the discomfort showing on Yuichiro's face despite her best attempts to hide it.

"Never forget that __I__ was the one who took you in after you escaped from Sanguinem! Had I not found you, you would have stood __no__ chance at survival outside the city!" he hissed.

Yuichiro stared at Guren. Why was he telling her this now? She was about to ask but after seeing his intense expression, the ravenette thought better of it and remained silent as she allowed him to continue.

" _ _I__ was the one who taught you how to fight and protected you to this very day! From your education, to the clothes you wear, the food you eat, to the very bed you sleep in, all of this, I have given you, __not__ the Hiragis, so don't you dare go wagging your tail to them!"

Yuichiro was startled at Guren's harsh words, her breath hitched in her throat as realization dawned upon her. For the first time since she met him, Guren was actually __afraid__ —afraid of losing her loyalty. And to the people he despised most which was ironic, considering how he showed no fear in even the bloodiest of battles.

"Is __that__ what this is about? You have some sort of grudge against the Hiragis? Well, if that's the case, then you have nothing to worry about. If there's something you should know about me by now is that I never betray my comrades."

For a moment, Guren forgot his displeasure and actually smiled. "Maybe. But you're wrong about one thing, Yuu: I am not your comrade."

"Oh?"

"I am your guardian, your superior, surrogate father or big brother, however you like to call me, but I am not your friend: I am your owner."

Yuichiro sighed sadly as she looked away from her guardian. She and Guren might have bickered constantly about everything else but this was the one thing she could not argue with him on.

"So is that all I am to you?" she asked bitterly. "A pet to be kept on a leash?"

Seeing that he might have gone a little too far with his harsh words, Guren felt a twinge of guilt and loosened his grip on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "That was completely uncalled for. I guess what I really wanted to tell you is not to trust the Hiragis so easily, especially Kureto. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

Yuichiro smiled. "It's all right. Shinoa pretty much said the same thing."

Guren's expression softened as his gaze wandered to the gold heart-shaped locket Yuichiro wore around her neck. He knew it was her only true and most valuable possession asides from her demon sword, Asuramaru, and that it was a gift from her orphanage brother, the blond vampire who almost killed him in Shinjuku. Guren never liked that little trinket but at the same time, he could not bring himself to order that Yuichiro be rid of it knowing how much it meant to her.

"I thought she might say that," he agreed. "But it's not just the Hiragis you should be concerned with."

"What do you mean?"

"I know you've also been thinking about that boy…"

"You mean Mika?"

"I know this isn't what you want to hear, but its best that you forget about Mikaela. He is no longer your brother; he's just another vampire." *****3*****

Yuichiro looked about to make a sharp retort to her guardian's callous words but he quickly cut her off.

"I'm telling you this for your own good, Yuu; you'll never be able to exterminate all the vampires like you wanted if you have an emotional attachment to even one of them, and you know I'm right."

Yuichiro fell silent. Despite their constant bickering, she had never failed to obey her guardian's orders but forgetting Mika was the one thing she could not do.

"Guren, you know you can't just order someone to forget their feelings…"

In response, the older man, gently ran his hands down her arms as he leaned forward and whispered into her ear.

"I know. But it's not __my__ feelings I'm trying to protect, it's __yours__. You belong to humanity and… you belong to me. Never forget that, Yuichiro Hyakuya."

Yuichiro could not help but blush at Guren's possessiveness. Not knowing how else to respond, she simply said:

"I know..."

Guren smiled before pressing a gentle, chaste kiss to the corner of her mouth. "Good girl. Now go. And remember what I've told you."

Yuichiro nodded. "Yes Guren," she said simply before running off and leaving him alone with his thoughts.

 ** **Footnotes:****

 ** **1\. In the Anne Rice novels, a vampire's hair will always remain the same length as when they were turned, meaning that if they had short hair, it will never grow any longer and if they had long hair, it will grow back to its original length very quickly, usually within 24 hours. In the movie version of "Interview with the Vampire", the hair grows back within seconds. From what I've seen of the latest OnS manga chapters, Ferid was completely bald after his sunlight torture but his hair grew back to shoulder length within minutes.****

 ** **2\. In canon, the Demon Army will kill their own soldiers before letting them get captured alive by the vampires. Shinya mentions that doing so spares such soldiers the pain of being tortured but most likely, it's more to protect the secrets of Demon Army than any real concern for them. Although not mentioned explicitly in the LNs or manga, the Demon Army is also likely to kill their own soldiers if they've been converted to vampirism too.****

 ** **3\. In canon, Guren fears losing male!Yuu's loyalty to the Hiragis. In my AU, he feels threatened by the Hiragis AND Mika. After realizing that Mika is alive and that he now has competition for fem!Yuu's loyalty and affections, Guren starts to become more possessive and manipulative to ensure that she remains loyal to him.****


	2. Where Loyalties Lie: Part I

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate version of the Nagoya arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta reader, ResidentialPsycho, for her help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!**

 **Chapter 2: Where Loyalties Lie, Part I**

Yuichiro paused and took a breath as soon as she entered the building where the first office was supposed to be. When she first heard her name being called over the intercom in the library, the ravenette had been in a rush to see why she was being summoned by the most powerful family in Japan.

But her sudden and unexpected encounter and conversation with Guren had made Yuichiro a bit more hesitant to answer her summons and she slowed down her steps a bit even though she knew the meeting was something that could not be ignored or avoided.

And from what Shinoa and Guren said of them, Yuichiro surmised that it would not be wise to keep the Hiragis waiting for long.

Forcing herself to keep moving, Yuichiro took the elevator up to the tenth floor after taking a brief look at the directory to make sure she was going the right way. As soon as the sliding doors opened once she reached her destination, Yuichiro stepped out of the elevator and found herself walking down a rather dimly-lit hallway. To her surprise, the ravenette ran into her blonde squad mate who had just stepped outside of executive room one.

"Mitsuba? Were you called in too?" Yuichiro asked curiously.

Turning, the blonde finally noticed her squad mate and released a soft gasp before placing a hand on her chest.

"Yuu! You startled me!" Mitsuba exclaimed before answering: "Yes, I did get an interview."

"Oh? How did it go?"

"Well, I was actually promoted. The higher-ups said my performance back in Shinjuku warranted it."

Yuichiro raised a brow. "Oh really? Well I don't remember much about what happened in Shinjuku but I'm sure you earned it. Congratulations, Miss Sangu, I'm very happy for you. But as much as I'd love to share in the moment, I've got my own call to answer."

Yuichiro proceeded to walk past the other girl but no sooner did she take a few steps past Mitsuba, she heard the blonde calling to her again.

"Wait, Yuu, is that all you have to say? You aren't going to call me out on my bullshit?"

Startled Yuichiro turned around to face her friend. "What? I don't understand what you mean, Mitsu."

The blonde girl sighed and threw her arms up in exasperation, looking as though she was on the verge of tears.

"I mean that I don't _really_ deserve a promotion because I was totally clueless and useless on the battlefield; that's exactly how I got my last squad leader killed! The only reason I was promoted at all is because I'm a member of the Sangu family!"

Understanding dawned upon Yuichiro when she realized that Mitsuba actually felt guilty and undeserving of her promotion and the ravenette took pity on her friend. In a surprising gesture of comfort, Yuichiro took Mitsuba in a sisterly hug and said:

"Shh… you're not useless, Mitsu. We all have an important role to play in this messed-up world. The way I see it, nobody who puts forth a sincere effort to help humanity survive is useless whether they're the head of the army or a simple guard."

Mitsuba managed a small laugh as Yuichiro released her. For some reason, the other girl's words did make her feel a little better.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right, Yuu. I'll just keep doing my best though I'm sure I'll never be able to compare to my big sister, Aoi."

Yuichiro was puzzled. "You have a sister, Mitsu? You never told me that. Come to think of it, neither you nor Shinoa ever spoke much of your relatives in all the time I've known you both."

"Yeah, well, the reason is Shinoa's sister died when she was pretty young and while _my_ big sister is alive, Aoi and I have never been close" Mitsuba confessed.

Thinking of her parents who also didn't care for her just because she was born female, Yuichiro felt she could relate.

"I understand, Mitsu. They say blood is thicker than water, but that's obviously not true for people like us." ***1***

"I'll say…" the blonde girl agreed.

"Right… we'll have to talk again later; it would be rude of me to keep the Hiragis waiting long. I hope you understand, Mitsu."

Yuichiro was about to leave when Mitsuba spoke up again. "Wait, Yuu, about that, a lot of people saw Mika try to carry you off during the Battle of Shinjuku and the Hiragis think you might have some sort of connection to him and the vampires in general, especially since he took a great deal of trouble not to hurt you. They're probably going to ask you about that so be careful; the Hiragi family is terrifying. Don't think all of them are like Shinya and Shinoa."

Without turning around, Yuichiro replied: "Oh? Did they ask you something like that in your interview too? What did you say, Mitsu?"

"I told them the truth; that I don't know anything about your history before you were taken in by Guren but I have not seen you show any characteristics of a traitor or vampire sympathizer."

"I see…well, I suppose that's all I can ask for. I don't want you to get in trouble by lying for me even though calling me a 'vampire sympathizer' isn't far from the truth if it's regarding my orphanage brother. Good day, Mitsu. And thank you."

"You're welcome, Yuu. Good luck."

Yuichiro nodded and headed towards the door at the end of the hallway without another word.

 **SSSSSS**

"Hey, Mi-chan, how did your interview go?"

Mitsuba almost jumped in surprise to hear her squad leader's usual cheery voice calling out to her as soon as she exited the building to the first office.

"Shinoa! What are you doing here?" the blond girl demanded when she saw Shinoa approach with her hands folded behind her back.

"Oh, I was just taking a walk and thought I'd take a minute to check up on you and Yuichiro. I take it your interview went well?"

"Yeah, I guess you can say that; I've been promoted to second lieutenant." Mitsuba answered, the half-hearted expression on her face a clear sign that she was less-than enthusiastic about her recent promotion.

Shinoa couldn't help rubbing it in and smiled before saying: Well, I'm not surprised to see someone from the Sangu family get promoted for doing virtually nothing. Looks like you've really got it made, Mi-chan!"

Knowing that her friend and squad leader was absolutely right, Mitsuba frowned but could not bring herself to argue.

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you, Shinoa?" she asked in annoyance.

Shinoa laughed as she flung her arms into the air. "Oh, come on! It's no big secret that those at the top are always rewarded without even trying while those unfortunate enough to be born to a lower station are not regardless of their talents and best efforts. I'm sure the lieutenant colonel can tell you that."

"Oh, and what about _you?"_ Mitsuba shot back. "As a Hiragi, you'd also be promoted without lifting a finger!"

Shinoa shook her head. "Not at all! I'd reject any promotion offered to me since I don't obsess over power the way my brothers do. I'm also content to be a lesser target for assassination if you know what I mean."

"Really?"

"Yup. My sister, Mahiru, was a prodigy, you see. She was such a genius that my father chose her even over our eldest brother, Kureto, to be the next family head. Unfortunately, Mahiru died under mysterious circumstances so nii-san will probably get the spot after our father passes away after all. After all, I cannot compare to my big sister so our family has no need for a useless waif like me."

"Kureto, huh? Yeah, I met your brother this morning and he sure gave me bad vibes. I feel sorry for Yuu since it's her turn to see him now," Mitsuba said grimly.

"I see… nii-san and the other top dogs probably want to see if she has any connection with the vampires, especially since her orphanage brother is one of them," Shinoa replied as her expression became one of concern.

"Are you sure that's _all_ they're going to ask her? When I spoke with him, Kureto asked if I knew anything about what happened to Yuu back on the battlefield."

"And what did you tell them?"

"That I didn't know anything about it; I was just as shocked as everybody else. That _is_ the truth, after all."

Shinoa folded her arms and rested her chin in her hand. "So if nii-san asked you such a question, it could only mean one thing."

"And what's that?"

"Isn't it obvious? It means that whatever experimentation done on Yuu wasn't officially sanctioned by the Demon Army."

Mitsuba was startled at her squad leader's revelation. "Then who…?"

Shinoa frowned and her cheerful mood vanished as she recalled her unpleasant conversation with Guren regarding Yuichiro's transformation. If Kureto was questioning Mitsuba and possibly Yuu herself about it, the only possible explanation could be that Guren was experimenting on his ward himself in secret with the help of those working under him.

But for Mitsuba's own safety, Shinoa thought it best she didn't know that. So the purple-haired girl was forced to do something she strongly disliked: lie to her friend.

"I'm not sure myself. In a world like this, it's hard to tell who your friends and enemies really are. Anyway, are you hungry, Mi-chan? The Harada twins asked if we would join them for lunch along with Yuichiro after she's done with her interview."

"Yeah, lunch sure sounds good. I hope Yuu will be ok…" Mitsuba said as she turned and took a brief glance at the building where Yuichiro was being interviewed at moment.

Shinoa grinned. "Aww, are you actually worried about Miss Hyakuya? It looks like Riku was right; you do care!"

Mitsuba blushed furiously as she spun around and glared at Shinoa. "Stop trying to be funny!"

"Aww, come on, no need to be embarrassed!" the purple-haired girl teased before becoming serious again. "I'm concerned about her too. But don't worry, Yuu is a big girl; she can take care of herself."

Mitsuba frowned as she sighed and took in her squad leader's words. "I hope so, Shinoa. I really do. For her own sake..."

 **SSSSSS**

After parting with Mitsuba in the hallway, Yuichiro opened the door to the first office and found to her surprise that the room she entered was completely dark, making her wonder if she had come to the wrong place.

"Hello?" Yuu called. "Is anyone there?"

Instead of an answer, the ravenette suddenly heard the sound of the door being slammed behind her, trapping her in complete darkness for a moment before the room suddenly lit up in the center, revealing a male blue-haired vampire clad in a white prison uniform. From the feral look he gave Yuichiro, she quickly realized that he must have been starved of blood for some time during his imprisonment.

Without thinking, Yuichiro quickly drew her sword as soon as she saw the vampire break free of the chains restraining him and charge towards her like a raging bull with his fangs bared. Before he could grab her and sink his fangs into her throat, Yuichiro cleanly sliced him in half at the waist and watched as his body turned into ash around her feet.

"What's going on here?" the ravenette demanded as soon as she looked around to make sure there weren't any more vampires in the room thirsty for her blood.

After another moment of silence, Yuichiro finally got her answer when the rest of the room lit up and she saw four people, three men and a woman, all in their mid-twenties, at the other end of the room. Yuichiro quickly recognize one of them as Shinya but instead of regarding her warmly and fondly as he usually did, the white-haired man gave her a cold look of indifference.

Although several questions arose in her mind at seeing her guardian's best friend look at her as if she were a total stranger to him, Yuichiro decided that now was not the best time to ask and waited for an answer to her original demand after destroying the vampire that was just sicked on her.

"That was a test for traitors to see if you can kill a vampire without hesitation. Now you've passed that test, we can talk."

Yuichiro found herself staring at the young man who had just answered her question. Judging from the decorations on his uniform, she figured that he must be of very high-rank in the army, possibly second only to the general himself. The man was also tall and well-built with short brown hair, hazel eyes, a strong jaw, and jagged brows, an appearance befitting of his rank and status.

"And who are _you?"_ Yuichiro demanded.

"I am Kureto Hiragi, lieutenant general of the Japanese Imperial Demon Army. And you are special private Yuichiro Hyakuya, am I correct?"

"Yes, that's right. What of it?"

"Well for one thing, I was expecting to see a young man answer my summons," Kureto replied. "Is there a reason your parents gave you a boy's name instead of a girl's?"

"Yes, and it's a very long story, one I would rather not get into if you don't mind, _sir."_ Yuichiro sneered.

The lieutenant general raised a brow at Yuu's defiant attitude which he actually found amusing. Although she sounded polite enough, Kureto still caught the slightly mocking lilt in the younger girl's voice at her refusal to go into detail about why she had a boy's name.

Not that it mattered. At the moment, there was a more important issue with her that he wanted to pursue. Withdrawing his own sword from its sheath, Kureto said:

"Very well, then. Let's start the interview exam of whether or not you are trustworthy. First, show me your raw sword fighting skills without activating your demon curse and I'll do the same, Miss Hyakuya."

Yuichiro grinned as she unsheathed her own sword and took a fighting stance, not looking the slightest bit intimidated by the lieutenant general's order or his imposing appearance.

"All right. But don't expect me to hold anything back, sir."

Kureto chuckled while pulling back his sword, a katana like her own with a reddish-gold tone blade instead of green.

"Likewise, my dear."

Shinya, who had witnessed the entire exchange in amused silence, finally smiled at Yuichiro and gave her a friendly warning.

"Don't trust what my dear brother says so easily, Miss Hyakuya…"

The ravenette had no time to ponder the thought before she heard Kureto call out for his demon contractor.

"Come, Raimeiki!"

By the time Yuichiro realized that Kureto had gone back on his word, it was too late and she barely had time to lift her blade in a horizontal position to deflect his lighting attack which was powerful enough to knock her across the room and slam her against the wall. Hard.

Trying her best to ignore the pain, Yuichiro quickly got up, ran back to the center of the room, and attempted to reposition her sword to attack Kureto. But the older man was faster and she soon found his blade at her throat before she could even get close enough to strike.

"So this is the extent of your sword-fighting skills, young lady? I can't say I'm surprised. But have no fear, you are still young and have plenty of time to learn. That's assuming you don't get killed on the battlefield before then."

Yuichiro glared at Kureto. "And that's supposed to make me feel better? It's rather dirty of you to go back on your word about not activating your demon curse, isn't it, _sir?"_

Kureto chuckled as he re-sheathed his sword, turned around, and slowly started to walk away from her.

"Is that what you're going to tell your enemies on the battlefield? I thought you would have learned by now that in war, anything goes to win. However, you do take orders well, I'll give you that. It makes it hard for me to believe you're Guren's ward considering his defiant attitude towards his own betters."

The ravenette grinned as she raised her sword and charged towards Kureto with the intention of giving him a nasty cut on his back if not running him through. But as soon as Yuichiro brought her sword down, she found her attack deflected by a young blond woman who bore a striking resemblance to Mitsuba. It didn't take long for Yuu to realize that this woman must be Aoi, her squad mate's elder sister whom she did not speak too fondly of.

"Shit, this girl is strong!" the older woman gasped as she struggled to push Yuichiro's blade away with her own.

Not wanting to make Aoi look bad in front of Kureto, Yuichiro actually took pity on the older woman and backed off. As soon as the lieutenant general turned around, she gave him a sweet smile and said:

"If your colleague had not protected you just now, you'd be dead. Or are you going to say I was being dirty for trying to attack you from behind?"

Instead of being angry that Yuichiro called him out, Kureto returned her smile. "I take back what I said; you are indeed Guren's protégé. Let's continue the interview, shall we?"

Turning to Shinya, Kureto nodded his head in Yuu's direction. Though he said nothing, Shinya knew exactly what his elder brother wanted him to do.

The white-haired man sighed and shook his head. "I'm afraid I'll have to decline, nii-san. Unlike you, I don't enjoy picking on little girls."

Seishiro snorted and shot Shinya a dirty look. "You'll do as you're told, adopted rat." ***2***

Yuichiro shot a glance in the direction of the young man who had just spoken. Unlike the others, Seishiro Hiragi's uniform jacket was slightly open in a more casual manner and his dark brown hair was styled in a Mohawk. If he wasn't a high-ranking officer, the man probably would have been relieved or suspended from duty for wearing his hair in such a way. His narrow-brown eyes also added to his menacing demeanor which made Satoshi Yamanaka look like a sheep in comparison.

"Tsk, fine!" Shinya finally replied before stepping forward, summoning his demon rifle, and pointed it at Yuichiro, making her heart skip a beat. Smiling sadly at her, the white-haired man said:

"Don't hold back if you want to live, Miss Hyakuya. That's all I have to say. Bang!"

Yuichiro had no time to answer before Shinya pulled the trigger and what appeared to be the apparition of a white tiger manifested from the rifle's muzzle and flew towards her.

Acting on her soldier's reflex, the ravenette quickly swung her sword to dissipate the demonic projectile before it could hit her. No sooner did the white tiger loose its shape, Yuichiro suddenly felt Shinya grab her by the wrist of her free hand and pull her close to his chest. She was about to demand that he tell her what he was doing before the older man shot her a look from his intense icy-blue eyes that said:

 _Play along._

Taking the hint, Yuichiro stopped resisting and allowed Shinya to throw her to the floor before pointing the bayonet of his demon rifle at her as she sat on her rump with her palms flat on the tiles while staring up at him.

"Well, that was quick. And I'm not even a melee fighter like Guren and Kureto; my Byakkomaru is more suited for long-distance fighting. You do know what this means about your skill level, right?"

Yuichiro said nothing but continued to give Shinya a blank stare before he made his weapon vanish and offered a hand to help her up. Upon seeing her hesitate, the older man smiled and said:

"It's ok, Miss Hyakuya. I'm not in the habit of hurting an unarmed person, especially a lady."

Yuichiro sighed and finally took Shinya's hand, allowing him to help her to her feet.

"Now, now, no need for the long face, my dear," the older man said kindly upon seeing the disappointed as well as embarrassed expression on Yuichiro's face at being taken down so easily as the result of not being allowed to activate the curse on Asuramaru. "You may have lost, but that's likely because you've received your cursed gear only recently and haven't been trained to use it to its full potential yet. So don't feel too bad about it."

"Thanks, that makes me feel _so_ much better," Yuichiro replied sarcastically as she re-sheathed her sword. "And you are?"

Shinya smiled and made a gentlemanly bow before taking Yuichiro's hand, placed a kiss on it, and answered.

"Oh, goodness me! Where are my manners? I am Major General Shinya Hiragi of the Japanese Imperial Army, at your service." ***3***

Unimpressed with his adopted brother's display of chivalry, Seishiro sneered. "Why do you waste your time with such formalities, rat? In case you've forgotten, this is supposed to be an interrogation of a possible vampire spy."

Ignoring the other man, Shinya turned to Kureto and said: "So does this finally clear me of any suspicions, nii-san? The young lady clearly does not recognize me or my fighting style."

"What are you talking about?" Yuu asked in confusion.

Turning back to the younger girl, Shinya patiently explained. "Right now, I am also under investigation, just as you are, Miss Hyakuya. After what happened in Shinjuku, we suspect there are spies among the Demon Army which could pose a huge problem for the Hiragi family. And since I happen to be close to your mentor, I am also suspect."

"Spies?" As realization dawned upon her, Yuichiro turned to Kureto and narrowed her eyes at him. "Is that what this is about? You think I'm a spy for the vampires?"

Kureto folded his arms before sighing and turned to exit the room "That remains to be seen, Miss Hyakuya." Without turning around, he said:

"Bring her, Aoi."

"Yes, sir," the blonde woman obeyed and roughly grabbed Yuichiro by the arm, yanking her away from Shinya and proceeded to half lead, half-drag her to a room upstairs with Shinya and Seishiro following suit.

Not appreciating Aoi's lack of manners but also not wanting to make herself look even more suspicious, Yuichiro did not resist when she was roughly shoved into a room that was divided in two by a glass wall.

When the lights were turned on, Yuichiro gasped when she saw Yoichi and Kimizuki on the other side. Both boys were strapped to what she recognized to be electric chairs, devices used for capital punishment in the United States from the late 19th century up until the late 20th century before their use was finally outlawed.

"What's going on here?" the ravenette demanded as she glared at Kureto while ignoring Shinya, Seishiro, and Aoi.

The lieutenant general gave her a cold, almost sadistic smile before answering.

"Now the real test of your loyalty begins, Miss Hyakuya."

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. The saying "blood is thicker than water" means relationships and loyalties within a family are the strongest and most important ones. In the Seraph series, this is often not the case. Most of the time, it is the direct opposite.**

 **2\. In canon, Seishiro Hiragi is not present during male!Yuu's interrogation. In my AU, I chose to add him to raise some points about her relationship with Guren.**

 **3\. Before his interrogation by the Hiragis, male!Yuu has never met Shinya Hiragi but in my AU series, fem!Yuu met him shortly after she was taken in by Guren and has developed a relationship with him akin to that of a little sister or favorite niece.**


	3. Where Loyalties Lie: Part II

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate version of the Nagoya arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta reader, ResidentialPsycho, for her help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!**

 **Chapter 3: Where Loyalties Lie, Part II**

"Yoichi! Kimizuki!" Yuichiro cried as she ran up to the glass and placed her palms on the flat surface. So far, both her squad mates looked unhurt despite being strapped tightly to the chairs and gagged to keep them quiet.

Turning around, Yuichiro glared at Kureto. "What's the meaning of this? Why get my squad mates involved? What do you plan on doing with them?" she demanded.

The older man smirked. "If you answer my questions truthfully, nothing. If not…"

Turning to Aoi, Kureto nodded and Yuichiro watched as the older woman flipped a switch on a nearby wall which prompted an instant reaction from Yoichi and Kimizuki on the other side. Though neither boy showed any signs of being in real pain, both were clearly uncomfortable with the electric charges from the chairs they were sitting on. It wasn't hard for the ravenette to figure out Kureto's plans for Yoichi and Kimizuki if she chose to defy him.

As if reading her mind, the lieutenant general continued. "Good that you understand, Miss Hyakuya. I was told that you know your American history quite well so surely you must also know what those chairs are capable of. Though they were originally used to execute criminals in the west, they can also be quite effective at torture if modified correctly so I suggest you not try anything funny if you don't want to see your friends fry."

Holding up what appeared to be a file of papers in his hand, Kureto continued.

"When issuing Black Demon Series weapons, we investigate the background of potential wielders very thoroughly. However, when we searched _your_ records, we found very little on you, Miss Hyakuya. Even more peculiar, all your legal documents identify you as male, including your birth certificate, but from what I can see, you are clearly not. So how did you manage to obtain a Black Demon Series weapon in such a short time? And how did your friends as well since we didn't find much on them either? Who are you really? Where did you come from, and what is your mission here?"

Yuichiro hesitated as if she wasn't sure on how to answer the lieutenant general's barrage of questions.

"Mission? I don't understand what you mean, sir!" she answered in a strained voice while trying her best not to panic.

Unfortunately, Kureto took Yuichiro's reply as a sign of defiance, turned to Aoi again, and nodded.

Without saying a word, the blonde woman increased the frequency on the chairs which resulted in Yoichi and Kimizuki crying out in muffled pain through their gags in the room next door. Knowing that the boys would be cooked alive if this continued any longer, Yuichiro turned back to Kureto.

"Stop! It would be pointless for you to kill two perfectly good soldiers for nothing since I can't tell you what I don't know!" she cried.

"Then tell me what you _do_ know and I promise your friends won't suffer anymore, Miss Hyakuya," the older man replied calmly.

"Tsk, fine!"

As soon as he knew he had Yuichiro's full cooperation, Kureto gave the order to turn off the chairs.

"Aoi, that will be all."

The blonde woman obeyed and once the chairs were off, Kimizuki and Yoichi panted in relief. Both boys were sweaty but otherwise did not appear seriously hurt. And as relieved as Yuichiro was, she knew Kureto could change his mind about frying her squad mates anytime if he didn't like what she told him.

"Now let's continue, shall we?" the lieutenant general said casually as if he were interviewing Yuichiro for an office job instead of threatening to torture her friends further if he didn't get the answers he wanted.

"According to your records, you were held prisoner in the vampire city from the time you were eight years old until you were twelve before escaping. At that time, your family was murdered by a vampire and you have vowed to take revenge by destroying all of them. Is that right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Good. After that, you were rescued, taken in, and raised by Guren Ichinose as his ward. The question is, why? _Why_ did he save you? What exactly _are_ you to him, Miss Hyakuya?"

Yuichiro's breath hitched in her throat at Kureto's unexpected inquiry. Although a bit intrusive, the ravenette had to admit that it was a fair question because in all the years she had lived under Guren's protection, Yuichiro never once thought to ask him why he saved her or what she meant to him.

Unfortunately, that didn't stop one arrogant and audacious bastard from coming to his own conclusion.

"Oh, I get it!" Seishiro snickered. "You're his little plaything!"

Yuichiro clenched her teeth and her cheeks burned with humiliation at the outrageous implication as she glared at Seishiro and her hand quickly flew to the hilt of her sword, a scathing reply about to pass her lips but to her surprise, Kureto quickly beat her to it.

"That's enough, Seishiro!" he said sharply as he made a gesture to silence his ill-mannered brother before turning back to Yuichiro, his cold and calculating expression now one of genuine curiosity.

"Is that true?" he asked. "I'll admit, girl, you aren't bad to look at…"

Yuichiro blinked in confusion at the lieutenant general's words as if she wasn't sure whether to be flattered or insulted. But the ravenette supposed that coming from someone like Kureto Hiragi, it was probably a complement, so she said nothing and allowed him to continue.

"But you seem a little young for Guren's tastes. And you look nothing like Mahiru."

A dozen questions raced through Kureto's mind at Yuichiro's suggested relationship with Guren that he did not think was a possibility until now. Staring at the younger girl in wonder, Kureto could not help thinking: how Guren managed to keep this little gem a secret from him?

Forgetting her anger towards Seishiro, Yuichiro stared at Kureto in confusion.

"What? Who's Mahiru?"

Kureto brushed her question off. "Never mind that…" he said coldly before changing the subject again.

"As for your last name, Hyakuya, is it really your family name or are you of the Hyakuya sect?"

"No, my family name was Amane. Hyakuya was just the name of the orphanage where I lived with my brothers and sisters." ***1***

"Then are you aware that the Hyakuya Sect is the largest spell craft organization in Japan? They routinely collect orphan children and used them for human experimentation and to test out new forms of magic. You and your brothers and sisters were likely lab rats used in their secret experiments. I understand now, this is starting to make much more sense; Guren must likely be trying to use something the Hyakuya Sect put inside of you, girl."

"Nii-san…" Shinya interrupted. "You didn't bring Miss Hyakuya here to see if she was really a spy of the vampires, did you? It's actually _Guren_ you suspect, not her."

Ignoring his brother, Kureto attempted to confirm what he had just told Yuichiro but the younger girl's expression told him that she had no idea what he was talking about.

"I see… the look on your face tells me you really don't know anything. That actually comes as no surprise since it's just like Guren to keep his guinea pigs in the dark. But enough of that; how about you come work for _me_ instead, young lady? Let me be your guide and I promise I'll help you find the answers you seek," the lieutenant general offered as he held out his hand for Yuichiro.

The ravenette did not answer right away but instead gave Kureto a dirty look.

"After what you just did? Why should I trust you? I kept my end of the bargain and told you what I know so I think it's about time you do the same, _sir._ I want you to release Yoichi and Kimizuki at once!"

The older man's brown eyes glittered dangerously at her audacious demand and for a moment, Yuichiro thought he might attack her before Kureto suddenly burst into laughter.

"You're very charming, Miss Hyakuya!" he exclaimed. "Spirited too, I like that in a woman! So I choose not to be insulted no matter how rude you are."

Turning to Aoi, Kureto finally gave the order he promised Yuu. "Release the boys; we're done here."

"Yes, sir," the blonde woman replied as she pushed a button on a nearby intercom and called for some guards to undo the restraints binding Yoichi and Kimizuki to the electric chairs in the other room.

After the boys were released, Yuichiro turned back to the glass and did a cursory examination of them to make sure they weren't seriously hurt. As if reading the younger girl's mind, Kureto said from behind her.

"Don't worry about them. Since they're both Black Demon wielders, their injuries will heal quickly."

"Oh, and that makes everything just fine and dandy now, doesn't it, _sir?"_ Yuichiro sneered as she spun around to glare at the lieutenant general. "I don't know what's going on between you and Guren but at least he wouldn't stoop to such despicable acts as this."

Kureto laughed. "I know; that's why I'm always a step ahead of him. In any case, your choice was the correct one; if you had taken my hand just like that, I might have killed you. After all, any man or woman who is so quick to betray their friends is of no use to anyone. That will be all, Miss Hyakuya. You and your friends can go home now, good day."

And without another word, Kureto, Seishiro, and Aoi left the room. Only Shinya stayed behind. When Yuichiro noticed that he didn't leave like all the others, she turned to him with a none-too-pleased look.

"What the hell was that all about, Shinya?" she demanded.

The major general frowned and shook his head. "Honestly, I'm not sure, Yuu. By the way, I apologize for being a bit rough with you back there but I had to put on a convincing act for my brothers that I didn't know you for both my protection and yours."

Yuichiro sighed. "It's all right, Shinya, I don't care about that. If I was afraid of being hurt, I would have never joined the Demon Army and I'm sure you wouldn't have either."

"True…" the older man agreed. "Anyway, I think you should get going now, Yuu. Even though your friends weren't seriously hurt, I'm sure they'll appreciate your help getting out of here; the sooner the better."

"Yes, you're right…" Yuichiro agreed. "Anyway, I'll talk to you again later, Shinya. Have a good day."

"You too, Yuichiro…" he replied as he watched her leave.

As soon as the younger girl was gone, Shinya's smile grew into a sad frown. After what she had just heard and experienced today, he knew it was inevitable that Yuichiro would confront Guren about it and feared she would be crushed when her guardian confirmed Kureto's words as the truth.

But unfortunately, there was nothing Shinya himself could do about it, regardless of how much he may care for both Guren and Yuichiro. He knew it was something they were just going to have to work out on their own.

"Good luck, you two…" he muttered. "You'll both definitely need it."

 **SSSSSS**

"I'm telling you, Shinoa, Yuichiro is in love with that blond vampire!" Mitsuba Sangu, who loved juicy gossip, insisted to her squad leader who was sitting on the stone bench next to her as they waited for their raven-haired squad mate to finish her interview.

Shinoa laughed. "Well, can you blame her? As much as you hate vampires, even _you_ have to admit that boy was quite a looker!"

Before Mitsuba could reply, they both heard the sound of footsteps and she and Shinoa looked up to see the girl in question walk out of the building with Yoichi and Kimizuki limping behind her. Though neither boy had a scratch on them, their bodies were obviously shaken up from being strapped to electric chairs and tortured by voltage. As the more fragile of the two, Yoichi leaned on Yuichiro for support while Kimizuki, who was far more robust, managed to walk on his own.

Startled, Mitsuba quickly got up and ran over to them with Shinoa following suit. "Oh, my god, what happened!?" she cried.

Yuichiro gritted her teeth and snarled "That interview was total bullshit! The Hiragis…" the ravenette trailed off as soon as she saw her guardian enter the courtyard. Before Mitsuba could ask what she meant her squad mate furiously stormed over to Guren and demanded answers.

"Guren, you better start explaining yourself!" she snarled. The lieutenant colonel hitched his breath slightly as if he were expecting this and allowed his ward to continue.

"Kureto said that I, as well as the rest of my brothers and sisters at the Hyakuya orphanage, was experimented on like guinea pigs by some shady-ass sect or cult practicing spell craft. Was he right when he said you saved me because you wanted to use me!?"

After a moment of silence, Guren sighed and said: "Yes, he is correct. I don't exactly have the luxury of saving anyone who doesn't serve a higher purpose. So what? Are you going to start sulking now?"

As hurtful as her guardian's words were, Yuichiro was too proud to let her disappointment and sadness show on her face. Forcing herself to calm down, the ravenette shook her head.

"No… regardless of your reasons, I would have died if you had not found me. But that's in the past. What matters now is if I can be useful in our fight against the vampires and… if I can get Mika back." As upset and disappointed as she was with Guren, Yuichiro knew she still needed him and from the look on the older man's face, he knew it too.

"Like I've said before, everyone here is your family, including me; we'll work together to get your brother back. And as I've promised, I will teach you how to use Asuramaru to its full power," Guren said gently as if he were attempting to appease his ward.

He always knew that he would have to tell Yuu the truth eventually but never wanted her to find out this way. Though Guren wasn't exactly sure what Kureto said to upset Yuichiro, he did know that his superior had an unfortunate talent for twisting words to suit his agenda and wasn't above lying or manipulation to gain other people's trust and loyalty.

Only this time, Kureto _wasn't_ lying and they both knew it. However, he was wrong about one thing: Yuichiro was not just a weapon to Guren. Although the lieutenant colonel would never admit it, he _did_ care for the girl and it made him proud when others praised her beauty and spirit as well as her intelligence and skill with the sword that was the result of his intense training.

Turning to Shinoa and Mitsuba, Guren said, "Take Yuichiro back to the women's dormitory until you are all summoned to the mess hall for dinner. The doctor has not yet given his approval for her to be up and about. As for Yoichi and Kimizuki, I want you two to check into the medical bay as soon as possible to make sure you are healing properly. Understood?"

Although they still had many unanswered questions, the squad felt it best to obey their superior's orders without further ado; everyone knew they will have plenty of time to think about what he said later.

"Yes sir," they answered in unison.

 **SSSSSS**

Later that night after the other soldiers had their dinner and retired to their dorms for the evening, Yuichiro found herself unable to sleep. Sitting up in her bed with only the moonlight shining through her window to illuminate her room, the girl hugged a pillow tightly to her chest as she thought about the events of the day as well as everything she had learned. Her guardian had told her not to trust the Hiragis, but how did she know if Guren himself was any more trustworthy? Was Kureto right when he claimed that her guardian valued her only as far as she was useful to him? Did Guren really see her as nothing more than a belonging, no different than the sword he wore around his belt?

Though Yuichiro desperately wanted to believe in his words, she had to acknowledge the fact that her mentor had not always been honest with her about his intentions. Perhaps Mikaela was right; perhaps the humans _were_ just using her and nothing Guren had ever done for her, given her, was intended to be free. Not his protection nor his guidance.

And certainly, not his love.

Despite herself, Yuichiro found her eyes misting with tears. _Why?_ She thought. _Why do I care so much what Guren thinks of me or if I actually mean anything to him?_

Knowing that she wasn't going to find her answers tonight, Yuichiro prepared to turn in for the night when she heard a soft knock at her door. Curious to see who would see her at such a late hour, she went to her door and asked:

"Who is it?"

"It's us, Shinoa and Mitsuba!" the purple-haired girl called from the other side. Wondering what her squad mates wanted with her, Yuichiro opened the door and beckoned for them to enter.

"Yes, what can I do for you?" she asked as soon as Shinoa and Mitsuba were inside. As if in answer, Mitsuba revealed what she had been hiding behind her back: a plate with a slice of chocolate cake, Yuichiro's favorite dessert.

Shinoa smiled and said, "We thought you might still be awake, so we've brought you this dessert to cheer you up."

Yuichiro laughed softly as she took the plate Mitsuba offered, picked up the fork next to the cake, and started digging in.

"Aww, thanks but you didn't have to!"

"It's ok, we wanted to," the blonde girl insisted. "We know it's been a rough day for you so it's the least we can do. The Harada twins were disappointed that you couldn't join us for lunch today, but we told them that you weren't feeling well. They understood."

"I understand but it really wasn't necessary. I'm a big girl, I can take it."

Shinoa shook her head. "No, it's not good to hold your feelings in like that, Yuu. We're your friends and we want you to know that we're here for you no matter what and if there's anything you want to talk about, you can always come to us."

"Oh…well, thank you; that means a lot to me."

"Yuu, are you still thinking about what the lieutenant colonel said?" Mitsuba asked, a look of concern crossing her delicate features.

When Yuichiro hesitated to answer, Shinoa gently touched her arm.

"Listen, I know Guren is a bit rough around the edges and though he has a funny way of showing it, he truly does care about you."

"I really wish I can believe that, Shinoa, but I can't ignore what I learned from Kureto today."

"Look, I know what my big brother told you might be disturbing, but don't believe _everything_ he says. He and Guren have been rivals engaged in a battle of wits for as long as I can remember and I'm sure nii-san would say _anything_ to turn you against him whether it's the truth, a half-truth, or an out-right lie. He's my own brother and even _I_ don't trust him so neither should you."

"Does he have any reason to lie?"

"Considering how much he seems to dislike the lieutenant colonel, I'd say yes," Mitsuba answered. "It wouldn't surprise me if Kureto tried to turn you against Guren just to spite him." ***2***

Yuichiro was silent a moment as she considered Mitsuba's words. What the blonde girl said did make sense though she could not shake that fact that there was at least some truth in what the lieutenant general claimed about her guardian.

"You know…" Shinoa began as she tried to change the subject.

"Yes?"

"I don't know if you've ever noticed, but you're actually the envy of nearly every young girl in the Demon Army."

"And why is that?" Yuu asked curiously.

"Well, do you know how many young ladies have their eyes on your guardian? And notices how he showers you with attention and affection while never even paying them any heed?"

Now that Yuichiro thought about it, she was never really able to make friends with other girls in the Demon Army. Except for Shinoa, Mitsuba, Risa, and Riku, they've always looked upon her with contempt and Yuu had been so obsessed with exterminating vampires, she never thought much about it until now.

"Well, if they knew how difficult Guren is to deal with sometimes, they probably wouldn't envy me so much," the ravenette snorted.

Though it was true that her guardian was handsome, brave, and intelligent as well as a gifted commander, he could also be insufferable at times with his snide comments and cocky attitude.

He was also a man whose contradictory actions often confused Yuichiro; Guren had trained her just as hard as he would have if she was a boy, expecting her to practice the sword skills he taught her to perfection while at the same time, doing everything he could to keep her off the battlefield as much as possible either because he didn't want her to get hurt or didn't have enough faith in her ability to fight. With him, Yuichiro could never tell.

"I know Guren can be difficult. And sometimes his words can be misleading. But as long as I've known him, he's never betrayed his comrades and I don't think he's about to start now," Shinoa said gently.

"One thing we do know for sure is that you can trust Guren more than any of the Hiragi top dogs, except for Shinya," Mitsuba assured.

Yuichiro looked down at her plate with the chocolate cake nearly gone.

"I see."

"Right. Well, it's late and we better get going," Shinoa said as she gently took Mitsuba by the arm to escort her out. "We just wanted to check up on you and help you feel better."

Yuichiro smiled as she put the last piece of the cake into her mouth. "I do. And thank you for the cake; I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome, Yuu. Good night and sleep well," Mitsuba said as she made a gesture for Yuu to give the empty plate to her to return to the kitchen in the mess hall.

After the other girl handed it over, she bid both her friends good night. After they left, Yuichiro was finally able to fall asleep soon after crawling into bed, and, with better peace of mind too.

 _Maybe I am lucky… lucky to have such friends…_ the ravenette thought before sleep claimed her.

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. In canon, it is implied that male!Yuu does not remember his original surname or much of his parents except that they tried to kill him. Fem!Yuu does remember her parents better as well as her original surname.**

 **2\. In the LNs, Kureto is hinted to actually be quite fond of Guren as he promotes him in the military under his power and protects him from the wrath of the other Hiragis. For my AU, Shinoa and Mitsuba is not aware of this and assume Kureto and Guren greatly dislike each other.**


	4. Remnants of a Lost Lover

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate version of the Nagoya arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta reader, ResidentialPsycho for her help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!**

 **Chapter 4: Remnants of a Lost Lover**

 **November 9, 2020**

"Good morning, Miss Hyakuya. You're up bright and early today! And I didn't even have to come drag you out of bed this time," Shinoa joked as she approached Yuichiro who had her back turned to her.

At the sound of her squad leader's voice, Yuichiro turned around and gave her a look of annoyance. They both knew why she was here at such an early hour; Yuichiro was supposed to meet up with Guren so that he could teach her how to use her demon sword to its full power. And to avoid causing unnecessary damage to their surroundings, they agreed to meet atop of an old building outside of JIDA Headquarters.

"And since when did I ever need you to drag me out of bed, Shinoa?"

The purple-haired girl laughed. "I was just joking, Yuu. But seriously, I'm curious to know what you're looking at? Some cute boy getting dressed somewhere?"

"Why do you always think such dirty thoughts, Shinoa? I was actually looking to the west."

"In the direction of the vampire city? Because that's where Mika is?"

"Correct. Sanguinem is actually underground, beneath Kyoto, but I know exactly where it is. After all, I spent nearly five years of my life there."

"Wow, I'm impressed, Yuu! You must have incredible vision to be able to see Kyoto all the way from Shinjuku!" Shinoa teased and she placed her hand above her eyes in a gesture similar to a military salute and gazed in the direction her friend had been previously.

Yuichiro shook her head. "Well, no, I can't actually _see_ it with my eyes. But I can envision it within my mind. I know Mika is there and I'll definitely get him back!"

"Because he's your brother, right?"

Yuichiro smiled. "That's right! And when I'm busting Mika out of there, _you're_ gonna help me!" the ravenette said excitedly as she pointed a finger at her squad leader.

"Oh, do I really have to?" Shinoa pouted in a sing-song tone.

"Of course you do! We're friends, aren't we?"

"But not too long ago, you said you didn't really need any friends if I heard you right," the purple-haired girl teased.

Yuichiro scratched her head. "Yes, you did, Shinoa. But even I have to admit it would be a bit difficult for me to rescue Mika by myself," she confessed.

Shinoa laughed. "I'm just kidding, Yuu. Of course, I'll help rescue your brother; we all will. But before you even think about storming Sanguinem, you need to learn how to use your cursed gear properly or you won't last long."

"Yeah, I know. Guren said the same thing," Yuichiro said as she looked around for a sign of her guardian before frowning when she saw he was nowhere in sight. "Dammit, what could be taking him so long? He was the one who told me to come here early. And the baka has the nerve to complain when _I'm_ late for anything."

"Well, I was told that there was a late officer's meeting last night so that's probably why your guardian is running late. He's normally quite punctual."

"I know. But since Guren's not here, do you think we can get a head start without him? You've been in the MDC longer than I have so surely you must know how to use your cursed gear to its full potential."

Shinoa nodded. "You're right, I do. And I can teach you in Guren's place if you want. From what I've seen so far, you've done a pretty good job at fighting the bloodsuckers even with only partial knowledge of your demon sword's power. That's quite an impressive feat but I agree with your mentor that you're going to have to do better than that if you want to get your brother back. You'll have to learn demon materialization or possession if you want to increase your power."

"Ok, Shinoa, so what exactly _is_ demon materialization and possession and how does it work?" Yuichiro asked as she withdrew Asuramaru from its sheath and turned the blade up and down.

Though she knew Guren was supposed to be doing this, Shinoa took it upon herself to show her squad mate the basics of how to summon her demon to the human world so she can make full use of its power.

"It's precisely as it sounds, Yuu. But if you need a more thorough explanation, it's a state in which you let your contracted demon come out so you can use its special power," Shinoa explained patiently. "I don't want to bore you with a long explanation so I think it would be easier to just show you. Watch…"

Yuichiro nodded and watched as her squad leader took what appeared to be a small black wand the length of a chopstick out of her jacket pocket and twirled it around in her fingers. To Yuichiro's amazement and wonder, Shinoa's wand became longer and larger until it reshaped itself into the scythe she used in battle.

And the scythe wasn't alone; it was accompanied by a dark, smoky, amorphous creature with a wide mouth, long fangs, and a pair of jagged horns that curved behind its head. Within the creature's mouth was a glowing eye-like orb as well.

Smiling cheerfully, Shinoa said: "May I present to you my demon contractor, Shikama Doji, or Shi-chan, as I like to call her!"

Yuichiro stared at the demon her squad leader had introduced casually as if it was a normal human. While the creature stared back at her just as curiously with its glowing "eye," it did not make a sound.

"So this is materialization? Your demon is not very sociable, is she? And how do you even know if it's a 'she'?"

Shinoa laughed. "That's because demons can't talk in the outside world; they can only speak to their human contractors through their thoughts and dreams."

"So basically, through telepathy, correct? Is that how you know your demon is female? Because she told you?"

"Correct," Shinoa answered. "Assuming she's telling the truth, that is."

"Curious, but your demon doesn't look anything like mine."

"Of course not, Yuu. Not all demons are humanoid and they come in all shapes and sizes too. Some may look human; others may look more like animals, or a huge cloud of smoke like mine. Some can also go between the real world, and the world of their human contractor's mind. There are even some that can take a human and non-human form." ***1***

"I see. So does that mean I can make Asuramaru materialize out in the open like that too?" Yuu asked curiously.

Before Shinoa could answer, they both heard a male voice cut in.

"That would depend on your contracted demon's nature."

Turning, both girls saw the man they had been waiting for since they arrived at the rooftop of the old building casually strolling in on them.

Not knowing or caring why her mentor was late, Yuichiro went straight to the point.

"Can you please clarify, sir?"

"Of course," Guren said before continuing. "Whether or not your demon can manifest in the human world depends on if it's the type to take hold of the wielder to make them stronger or the type to use its special ability once it comes out. For example, my sword is the former, the possession type."

"Interesting…" Yuu said. "How do I know which type my demon is? Should I ask him?"

Guren smirked as he unsheathed his own sword. "No need. I know a faster way to find out. Take out your sword and try to activate the curse, Yuu. I'll do the same."

"Oh, are we going to cross swords again?" Yuichiro asked excitedly as she pointed Asuramaru in Guren's direction. "Sweet! This is just what I need to start my morning!"

Although she said nothing, Shinoa could tell by her friend's tone that she was still displeased with her guardian for his deception as well as tardiness and from the look on Guren's face, he knew it too.

But now was not the time to bring either topic up.

"Don't order your latte just yet, Yuu..." the older man warned softly before stretching his sword arm to the side and calling for his demon contractor.

"Possess me, Mahiru…" he said softly.

Upon hearing the familiar name, both Yuichiro and Shinoa gasped when they saw a shadow in the shape of a young woman with glowing red eyes appear besides Guren, gripping his shoulders from behind. That one moment the ravenette faltered was all her guardian needed before he sent a wave of dark energy her way, knocking Yuichiro off her feet and onto her back several yards away.

"Yuu!" Shinoa cried as she made her demon and scythe vanish before rushing to her friend's aid.

"Wh..what was that?" Yuichiro gasped as she sat up on her knees and clutched the front of her uniform. To say that her mentor's demon gave her bad vibes was an understatement.

Shinoa, on the other hand, had her own questions, but they had to wait until after she helped her friend back on her feet.

"Yuichiro… I really think you should stop now; you're still weak from what happened in Shinjuku and I don't want you to overexert yourself."

"But…"

"No buts, Yuu! You still have plenty of time to learn demon possession and I can also teach you how to do it; Guren isn't the only one who knows. Right now, the most important thing is to wait until you're a hundred percent better before we proceed with your training further."

Upon seeing the pleading look of concern in her squad leader's eyes, Yuichiro sighed and relented.

"Fine…" she said. "We'll do it another day."

Relieved that Yuichiro wasn't going to argue with her on the subject further, Shinoa said:

"Good. I'm guessing you haven't had breakfast yet since you were in such a hurry to get here this morning. Why don't you go to the mess hall and order us some? I'll catch up with you later; I just need to talk to Guren alone for a minute."

"Ok… see you in a bit then."

Guren watched in silence as Shinoa gently helped Yuichiro dust off and straighten out the creases on her uniform from her fall before the ravenette finally left. After she was sure the other girl was gone and out of earshot, Shinoa suddenly summoned her demon weapon once again while giving Guren a less-than pleasant look.

"Shi-chan, please kill him!" the purple-haired girl ordered politely.

Shikama Doji moved to obey but, being the experienced demon wielder and fighter he was, Guren easily deflected Shinoa's attack with the dark energy of his own sword.

But the purple-haired girl wasn't easily deterred and used the cover of the smoke her demon provided to slip behind Guren and place the blade of her scythe over his throat.

Instead of being intimidated, the older man merely looked at Shinoa with an expression of indifference.

"Well, what are you waiting for, Miss Hiragi? If you're going to kill me, then just do it," he said simply.

"Don't mock me," Shinoa said coldly, her cheerful demeanor gone and replaced with one of seriousness. "I know you can easily dodge my attack if you wanted."

Knowing that the younger girl was absolutely right, Guren did not try to deny her assertion.

"You're right, Shinoa. But in all honesty, I wouldn't mind having _you_ take my life."

Shinoa laughed bitterly. "Ha! You mean as atonement for killing my sister, Mahiru? How stupid do you think I am? I heard you calling out her name just now so she's really not dead, is she?"

"No, you are wrong about that, Shinoa. Your sister _is_ dead. Dead and gone. She perished after completing the development of the cursed gear and won't be coming back. It was her sacrifice that preserved what is left of humanity," Guren said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, but that's not all there is to the story, is it?" Shinoa challenged. "You see, my sister was never one to care about the world. She just wanted to be with you, that's all. Mahiru loved and longed for you like no other. But fate wouldn't let you two be together so she tried to fight it by becoming involved with demons. In fact, my sister was so obsessed with her research that she became a demon herself and met her demise. And the hand that finally destroyed her was that of her lover, you, Guren Ichinose. Am I correct?"

The lieutenant colonel was silent for a moment before finally answering. "You're more perceptive than you let on, Shinoa; you are indeed Mahiru's little sister."

"Never mind that…" the purple-haired girl said impatiently. "I'm right, aren't I? My sister isn't really dead, is she? She lives on inside that sword as your demon contractor, I know it. So is that why you've been experimenting on Yuu? Because Mahiru is telling you to? Are you possessed by her? What are your plans for Yuu? And should the time come, will you sacrifice her just like you sacrificed my sister? Because if that's the case, I must insist that you cease immediately."

Instead of answering Shinoa's questions, Guren responded with ones of his own.

"Oh, and why do my plans for Yuichiro concern you so much, Miss Hiragi? Could it be because you still have those same lingering feelings for her that you did when you thought she was a boy? Or is because you see her as replacement of sorts for your real sister?"

"Neither," Shinoa answered smoothly as she pulled her scythe back before making it vanish. "All I'm saying is that if you're using Yuu because Mahiru told you to, I will put a stop to it myself one way or another."

At the accusation, Guren pointed the dark blade of his sword at Shinoa and sneered.

"Because Mahiru _told_ me to? Don't look down on me like that, Shinoa. I'm not so weak as to let myself be possessed by a demon, even if she _is_ your sister and my ex-lover. Yes, if you must know, Mahiru does live on inside this sword. But _I_ am the one who's in control; I'm not possessed by her."

"Oh really? Would you even know if you were? What if I said I didn't believe you?"

"Well, that's your problem," the older man said coldly as he sheathed his sword and started to walk away. Before he finally left the building rooftop, Guren turned back to Shinoa.

"This is the only time I'll ever have this discussion with you, Shinoa. You may be displeased with me but I suggest you not bring up your sister with Yuichiro if you really care about her feelings."

"Even if I say nothing, do you really think she won't find out sooner or later?" the purple-haired girl challenged.

"Then I'll deal with it when and if the time comes. Good day, Miss Hiragi," Guren replied before turning and leaving Shinoa without another word.

 **SSSSSS**

 _So thirsty… need blood…_ Mikaela thought tiredly as he staggered down the streets of downtown Sanguinem while ignoring the curious glances the young livestock children were sending his way until he manage to find a hidden alley between two old buildings.

When the blond was sure he was out of sight and earshot, he finally allowed himself to lean against the wall and slowly slid to the floor while clutching the front of his vampire guard uniform and panting heavily.

 _Krul will see me tonight… I just have to hold out until then…_ Mika thought as he tried to steady his breathing.

As if reading his mind, the blond heard a familiar (and unwanted voice) calling out for him.

"You know, Mika, you really should stop fighting your thirst and start drinking human blood. Don't you want to be young and beautiful forever? And why suffer needlessly when you don't have to?"

Looking up, the blond saw the last person he wanted to see, especially at a time like this.

"What…do…you…want, Ferid?" Mika hissed softly while trying to hide how painfully thirsty he was.

"Now is that any way to talk to your concerned commander?" the silver-haired vampire lord teased. "I've been looking for you all morning because I'm worried about you."

Before Mika could tell Ferid that he didn't need or want his concern or pity, they both heard a child's voice cut in.

"Excuse me…"

Turning, both Mika and Ferid saw a young brunette boy who appeared no older than ten years of age approach them. Like all the other children in Sanguinem, he was dressed in a white livestock uniform.

Putting on his most charming and polite smile, Ferid said: "Yes? What is it, child?"

Trying his best not to look intimidated, the boy cleared this throat and answered. "I was told that if I offered my blood to you, you would make life easier for me and my brothers and sisters."

Ferid raised a brow and feigned ignorance. "Really? Now who told you that? Was it you, Mika?" he asked as he turned to the younger vampire.

Instead of answering, Mikaela shook his head fiercely. Not that it mattered to his ex-benefactor.

Seeing a chance to finally break the blond, Ferid suddenly grabbed the boy by the throat and lifted him into the air, causing him to gag.

Forgetting his thirst for a moment, Mika jumped up and grabbed the older vampire's wrist in an attempt to make him free the boy before he choked to death in Ferid's ironclad grip.

"Stop, what do you think you're doing?!" Mika demanded.

"Why, I'm doing you a favor, Mika!" Ferid answered in mock innocence as he used one of his talons to prick the boy's skin from his neck. "Go on, drink his blood and I promise you'll feel a lot better!"

Mikaela shook his head. "I refuse! You know it goes against the law of our queen to drink directly from humans, Ferid. Now let the boy go!"

The older vampire gave him an incredulous look before sighing and finally releasing the boy. Both of them knew Mika could make Ferid do nothing against his will. But it would not look good for the vampire lord if a certain adopted son of Queen Krul decided to rat him out for breaking one of the strictest laws of the vampire city.

"Tsk, you're such a goody two shoes, Mika! Kind of ironic when you think of our colorful history together. Or is it really because you're afraid of what your darling Yuu-chan will think?"

Ignoring Ferid, Mikaela gently helped the young boy to his feet. Watching Ferid drop him to the cold ground reminded Mika of the time Yuichiro tried to save him from having his blood drawn by the harvesting machine when he was already so drained from "donating" blood to Ferid the night before.

As a result, she was nearly strangled by the vampire worker handling the machine before their benefactor had arrived and saved both their lives.

"Are you all right, child?" Mika asked gently.

Surprised that a vampire would show any concern for his well-being, the boy stared at Mika in astonishment.

"Yes, I think so," he answered after he had finished coughing.

"Good…" Mika said. "You'd best get out of here, quick. And don't _ever_ offer your blood to any vampire again, especially _him._ Not if you don't want to end up like me. Now, go."

Taking the hint, the boy gulped and ran off without another word. After he was gone and out of earshot, Mika turned to glare at Ferid once more.

"All right, Ferid, what do you _really_ want? You didn't come here just to ask me to drink human blood."

"You're right, I didn't," the older vampire confessed. "I actually came here to ask you to come to the next progenitor council meeting with me."

Mika was puzzled. "The progenitor council? What could they possibly want with _me?"_ he demanded.

"Well, I don't want to spoil the surprise, my dear Mika. I would be so much more fun if you see for yourself."

Not waiting to see if the younger vampire would follow, Ferid turned and walked away, all while whistling a happy tune.

After his ex-benefactor was gone, Mika finally allowed himself to lean against the wall once more. As if his thirst wasn't bad enough, he also ended up exerting even more energy trying to save a human child from Ferid which was the last thing he needed.

"It's so painful, my love…" the blond gasped. "But I'll bear it. For you…"

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. In the LNs, Shinoa's demon Shikama Doji is described as having a humanoid appearance when they communicate in her mind. It has been hinted and suggested in the series that demons are capable of taking both human and animal/monster forms though some may be restricted to one or the other.**


	5. Secrets Among Comrades

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate version of the Nagoya arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta reader, ResidentialPsycho, for her help in making this fic possible.**

 **Chapter 5: Secrets Among Comrades**

 **November 10, 2020**

"Hey, how's everything up there, you two?" Yuichiro asked curiously as she eyed Yoichi and Takeshi who were both perched on a tall streetlight with their bows drawn.

As she had promised Yuichiro and later Kimizuki, Shinoa had taken them outside of the city walls to teach them manifestation or possession of their demons, cursed gear skills that she herself had learned long ago but was still new to her squad mates. Both skills were also new to the members of Satoshi's squad as well.

In order to assure that Yuu and Kimizuki do not damage Shinjuku further, it was necessary for their squad leader to take them outside the city though doing so posed some risk since leaving the walls made them vulnerable to the monsters outside.

Hence their dependence on the two archers from each squad to watch their backs and warn them of impending danger.

"I see five Horsemen of John in the distance approaching but don't worry, I'll take care of them," Yoichi assured as he took aim with his bow, his left eye covered by a pentagram formed of green light that served as a telescope similar to Shinya's rifle.

"You sound pretty confident, Saotome" Takeshi said with a grin as he activated his own pentagram of light that was red and covered his right eye. "Want to see who can take down the most Horsemen of John first?"

The other boy laughed light-heartedly. "This isn't a contest, Saehara; I'm just trying to keep the others safe."

"I know, I know, I'm just kidding. Still, it doesn't hurt to have fun while we're out here, right?"

"I suppose so. Let's do it then!"

"Right!"

Taking aim at their respective targets, Yoichi and Takeshi prepared to fire, both boys intent on outdoing the other to see who can take down the most Horsemen of John. It wasn't the first time the young archers had a shared target, their first being Mikaela Hyakuya when he tried to abduct Yuichiro and take her from the battlefield.

Fortunately, unlike the blond vampire, their current targets were much slower and easier to hit but would still require the assistance from their demon contractors, especially from this distance.

"Strike the enemy, Gekkouin!" Yoichi murmured.

"Oh, you can materialize your demon? That's awesome!" Takeshi exclaimed as he took a moment to admire the black shadow that was shaped like a giant crow behind Yoichi. "I think I'll trying calling for mine too. Get 'em, Kurashina Menou!" ***1***

In response to his sudden order, Takeshi heard a soft feminine voice in his mind.

" _Now is that any way to ask a lady for a favor, Mr. Saehara?"_ his demon scolded.

Blushing, Takeshi apologized. "Sorry… what I mean is: Please lend me your power, Miss Menou!"

The brunette boy heard a soft laughter. _"That's better!"_ Menou said before she materialized behind Takeshi in the form of a fiery phoenix.

With the assistance of their demons, both archers quickly took down all five Horsemen of John before they could reach the two squads on the ground below. Yoichi had managed to destroy three while Takeshi destroyed two, having taken a moment longer to get his demon to grant him her assistance.

Acknowledging defeat, Takeshi playfully punched Yoichi in the arm, almost hard enough to make him lose his balance on the streetlight they were standing on.

"Good job, Saotome, looks like you win. But next time, victory shall be mine!" the other brunette boy joked with a wink.

Yoichi laughed nervously while scratching his head at his rival's praise. "It was nothing, really!" he insisted.

Before the other boy could reply, both of them heard Satoshi call out to them from the streets below.

"Hey, is everything ok up there? How did it go with the Horsemen of John?"

"We need to be sure it's safe before we can start the ritual for Yuu and Kimizuki!" Shinoa added.

"It's all good now!" Takeshi answered before jumping off the streetlight to join the rest of Satoshi's and Shinoa's squads.

"Yeah, the coast is clear!" Yoichi confirmed before joining Takeshi on the ground.

"Good," Satoshi said as he watched the two archers dust themselves off after putting their weapons away. "By the way, you two, I'm pretty impressed you can materialize your demons already. Where did you learn how to do that?"

Yoichi hesitated for a moment as if he wasn't sure how to answer so his squad leader answered for him.

"Yoichi has a natural talent for controlling demons, Mr. Hiwatari. I didn't have to show him a thing; he did it himself," Shinoa said proudly.

Satoshi raised a brow. "Really? That's no small feat; I'm impressed, Yoichi."

"It's nothing to be impressed about," the brunette boy said as he poked his cheek shyly. "The most important thing is to get to know your demon. I speak to mine every night in bed until I fall asleep and even more when I'm dreaming."

"Seriously?" Takeshi asked. "Looks like you had the same idea I did, Saotome. For me, it's something I really enjoyed since my demon can take the form of a pretty girl as well as a phoenix. But I'm sure your Gekkouin isn't like that."

"Well, I've yet to see his true human or humanoid form but when he's guiding my aim, Gekkouin looks a lot like a black crow or raven," Yoichi confessed.

"Oh, so you haven't seen your demon's true form yet? I guess they reveal themselves to their human masters on their own time," Takeshi said thoughtfully.

"I think so too," Satoshi agreed.

"So what about you, Mr. Hiwatari?" Shinoa asked. "How're things with you and your demon? Daisuke tells me he can be a bit difficult to handle at times."

"Don't worry about that, Miss Hiragi. Yes, Krad is a pain in the ass but I can handle him. I'm more worried about Daisuke and Dark," the blue-haired boy assured as he made a gesture towards Daisuke who was chatting with Riku, Risa, and Mitsuba as well as Yuu near the campfire they set up.

"Daisuke and Dark? But why?" Shinoa asked curiously as she allowed her gaze to wonder in the direction of the red-haired boy who appeared to be flirting with their other female squad mates.

"Hey, how're you fine ladies doing tonight? It's not often we get to go outside the walls away from the higher-ups so why don't we take advantage of it and have some fun while we're here?" Daisuke asked playfully as he tried to take Yuu's hand and ask for a dance.

Annoyed that Daisuke would even suggest playing around at a time like this, Yuichiro swatted his hand away.

"What do you think you're doing, Niwa? This isn't a picnic; I came here to master the use of my cursed gear and shouldn't you be doing the same with yours, too?"

Realizing that the phantom thief was up to his old tricks again, Satoshi sighed before turning to Shinoa, Yoichi, and Takeshi.

"Please excuse me for a moment, everyone," the blue-haired boy said before marching over to Daisuke and yanking him away from Yuichiro none-too-gently by his ear.

"Oww!" the red-haired boy whined. "Hey, Sato, what's the big idea?" he demanded.

"Cut the crap, Dark. Release your hold on Daisuke right now," Satoshi ordered before letting go of the other boy's ear.

"Aww, what gave me away?" Dark pouted. ***2***

Satoshi glared at him. "Did you think you could fool me so easily just because you can conceal the curse marks on Daisuke's body? I know he isn't quite as daring with women as you so knock it off, Dark."

"Tsk, fine, fine! You're such a kill-joy, Sato!" the phantom thief pouted before returning his host's body to its rightful owner. It was difficult enough for Satoshi to keep Krad from taking over his own body and now he had to keep Dark from possessing Daisuke without his consent as well.

After Dark was suppressed, Daisuke closed his eyes and placed a hand on his forehead. When he opened them and found his squad leader standing before him, he was puzzled.

"What? What happened? Weren't you talking to Takeshi and Yoichi a moment ago?" the red-haired boy asked in confusion.

"Yes but I had to step in when your demon decided to use you to play around with the girls!" Satoshi answered in dismay.

Daisuke felt his cheeks grow hot at his squad leader's revelation. "Are you serious, Sato? I didn't even know Dark was possessing me!"

"Of course you didn't! That's why I told you not to let your guard down with that demon no matter how nice or cool he might seem!" Satoshi scolded. "Next time watch your back if you don't want the bastard to make you look like a total idiot in front of everyone!"

Upon realizing the true reason for Daisuke's strange behavior, the Harada twins and even Mitsuba and Yuu found themselves trying to stifle their laughter.

"I thought Niwa was being a bit too daring when he asked Yuu to dance!" Risa giggled.

"I don't know, Risa, I kind of like him like that!" Riku teased.

"Well, that explains everything," Yuichiro said with a touch of humor. Unfortunately, I didn't come out here to flirt or dance. I came here to train." Turning to her squad leader who had come to join the rest of the two squads with Yoichi and Takeshi, she continued. "Isn't that right, Shinoa?"

The purple-haired girl nodded. "Right. Now is as good a time as any."

"And we're far enough away from the city not to cause any damage if your demons go berserk," Mitsuba added before turning to Yuu and Kimizuki. "Though I have enough faith that you're both strong enough not to let that happen."

Yuichiro snorted. "Of course it won't! You give me far too little credit, Mitsu!"

Shinoa rolled her eyes. The last thing they needed right now was for Yuu and Mitsuba to get into another argument.

"That's enough, you two! We can't afford to waste precious time on petty squabbles, especially if we want to survive and win this war against the vampires."

Yuichiro sighed. "You're right, Shinoa. Please, continue."

Her squad leader nodded. "Ok. Normally, it's best to take your time and gradually let yourself get used to your demon weapon in order to avoid losing your consciousness to the demon."

"Oh? Like how long?" Yuu asked.

"For me, it took about half a year," Mitsuba answered. "That is the best approach if you don't want to run into any issues. Not that I'm saying it can't be done faster, but there are risks."

"I'm well aware of that, Mitsu," Yuu said impatiently. "But unfortunately, that's a risk I'm going to have to take since I don't have the luxury of time. I have to hurry up and get enough power so I can save Mika as soon as possible."

"I understand that you're eager to save your brother, Miss Hyakuya," Shinoa said patiently, "But like I've told you before: if you can't control or use your demon weapon to its full power, you won't last that long. And since you and Kimizuki are the only ones who haven't found out your contracted demon's nature for certian, you must meet with them again in your subconscious. So who would like to go first?"

Yuichiro was confused. "What? Is there a reason we both can't go at the same time?"

"I wouldn't recommend that," Satoshi warned. "If both of you go berserk, it would be much more difficult for the rest of us to subdue you."

Though the blue-haired boy neglected to mention that he was far more worried about Yuichiro than Kimizuki, everyone know exactly what Satoshi meant and did not argue.

Everyone except Yuu herself, that was.

"Huh? But there are eight of you! Surely it shouldn't be too hard to restrain me _and_ Kimizuki if that were to happen, right?"

Knowing that Yuichiro would realize everyone was hiding something from her if this discussion persisted further, the pink-haired boy cleared his throat and said:

"It's all right, Yuu. I'm in no hurry. I agree with Satoshi that its better safe than sorry and I really don't mind waiting so you go first."

Yuichiro blinked. "Are you sure, Kimizuki?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Very well, then…" Yuichiro began before turning to her squad leader as if waiting for further instructions.

Knowing exactly what the other girl wanted to ask, Shinoa pointed to Yuichiro's sword and answered:

"It's really simple, Yuu; to start the ritual, all you have to do is cut yourself with your sword and offer your blood to the demon inside. In short, let Asuramaru suck your blood through the blade."

The ravenette could not help shuddering at the suggestion. "That sounds almost like a vampire…" she said grimly.

"Well, demons and vampires _are_ related in many ways. Would you like an explanation?"

Yuichiro shook her head. "Um, no thanks. I want to get this show on the road as soon as possible; the sooner I can master Asuramaru, the better."

Before Shinoa could reply, Yuichiro quickly unsheathed her sword and closed her gloved fist tightly around the blade, closing her eyes as she did her best to ignore the biting pain of cold steal cutting into her flesh.

For a moment, nothing happened before the ravenette suddenly gasped; her eyes flew open and once again became the glowing red pits they were when she transformed into an angelic monstrosity during the Battle of Shinjuku.

"Everybody, have your weapons ready in case she loses it!" Satoshi ordered.

"Satoshi's right; we must be prepared!" Shinoa agreed.

Both squads wasted no time in summoning their demon weapons and assuming a fighting stance should Yuichiro lose control of herself but to everyone's surprise, she did not make any attempts to attack or even move from her spot. Instead, Yuichiro tilted her head back and groaned as if she were in pain before finally fainting.

Ever so concerned for his squad mate, Kimizuki quickly flung away his twin swords and caught Yuichiro before she fell to the ground on her face.

"Is she all right?" Risa asked in concern as she followed Kimizuki's lead and put her own war fans away to come to Yuichiro's aid.

Not like the pink-haired boy needed anyone's assistance to catch Yuichiro and hoist her into his arms like he did when she reverted back to her human form in Shinjuku after Yoichi covered her scantily clad body with his cape.

"I'm sure she'll be fine" Kimizuki assured.

"I think we should lay her down somewhere" Riku suggested.

"Put her over there, near the fire where it's warm," Shinoa ordered. "I brought some blankets since I knew it's likely we may have to stay out here overnight."

"Good idea," Kimizuku agreed. "I'm glad you thought of that, Shinoa."

The purple-haired girl brushed off the praise with a wave of her hand. "Think nothing of it; as your squad leader, it's my job to make sure we have everything we need on away missions such as these."

Turning to Mitsuba, Shinoa continued. "The blankets are in that pack over there. Since Yuu is going to be asleep for a while, we should make ourselves comfortable until she wakes up."

"Sure," the blonde girl said. "Just don't get _too_ comfortable since she can still go berserk at any time."

"I'm sure your squad leader knows that," Satoshi pointed out. "If we need to stay here overnight, we can take turns watching her."

"Right," Takeshi agreed. "For now, I can use something to eat. What about you, Saotome?" he asked the other archer as he watched Yoichi approach the campfire.

The brunette boy nodded as he poked his cheek with his forefinger again; a habit he developed when in deep thought or trying to make a decision.

"Come to think if it, I _am_ a bit hungry; I haven't eaten since we left the city earlier today. Do we have any food?"

"Yes," Satoshi answered. "That is, if you're ok with the canned food I brought; we won't have the luxury of cooking out here since we also have to watch out for vampires and other monsters while guarding Miss Hyakuya."

"It's ok, I don't mind," Yoichi insisted.

"I've got no problem with it either," Kimizuki added as he gently set the sleeping Yuichiro down on the blanket Risa and Riku spread near the camp fire.

The Harada twins also took it upon themselves to remove Yuichiro's bloody glove from the hand she choose to cut herself with and put Asuramaru beyond her reach in case she woke up in a frenzied state.

After making sure Yuichiro was lying down in a comfortable position, Kimizuki removed his outer jacket and draped over the sleeping girl. Shinoa, who witnessed the scene, could not help smiling at the pink-haired boy's subtle display of affection for their squad mate.

"You know, you don't have to do that, Kimizuki; I brought more than enough blankets for everyone."

Trying his best not to let his squad leader see him blushing, the pink-haired boy brushed off Shinoa's comment.

"It's all right; it's not like I need my jacket when I'm already this close to the fire."

Shinoa shrugged but refrained from calling him out on his lie.

"Ok, if you insist, Kimizuki."

Wanting to end this awkward conversation as soon as possible, the pink-haired boy decided to change the subject.

"Anyway, let's get started on dinner; I'm starved."

"Sure," Satoshi said as he took out a can opener from one of his packs and handed it to Daisuke.

Wanting to keep the red-haired boy occupied so that his demon won't take over again, Satoshi said:

"Here, use this to open the cans. There are nine of us not counting Miss Hyakuya since she won't need any food while she's meeting with her demon."

Daisuke sighed. As a soldier, he disliked doing menial labor and tasks but did not argue since his squad leader had saved him from further embarrassment when his demon possessed him without his knowledge by ordering Dark to release his hold on him.

"Sure, Sato, whatever you say."

After painstakingly opening the cans one by one with Takeshi's help, Daisuke did his best to pour the contents into the bowls without spilling since food was far too precious to waste, especially outside the walls. They didn't even have variety; all the cans Satoshi brought contained the same thing: vegetable soup with chunks of dried chicken.

Even so, both squads were grateful they at least had the fire to heat up their soup so that they wouldn't have to eat their dinner cold. As they sat around the campfire attempting to enjoy what little dinner they had, Kimizuki decided to bring up the topic he knew everyone was trying to avoid talking about, especially Shinoa.

"So how long do you think it'll be before Yuichiro wakes up?" he asked.

Shinoa sighed. "I'm not sure. It could be minutes or hours depending on how well she's able to deal with her demon. As her friends and comrades, it's our duty to look out for her and protect her."

Seeing a chance to finally make his point without beating around the bush, the pink-haired boy took it.

"Are we _really_ friends and comrades, Shinoa? If so, then why are we keeping secrets from Yuichiro? That's not what 'friends and comrades' are supposed to do."

Satoshi frowned as he looked up from his dinner and gave Kimzuki a disapproving look. "Kimizuki, you should know that it's not your place to question your squad leader. I'm sure she has her reasons…"

Shinoa raised a hand and made a gesture to silence the other squad leader. "It's all right, Mr. Hiwatari, Kimizuki is just concerned for Yuichiro. We all are."

Turning to her pink-haired squad mate, she said: "You want to know what happened to Yuichiro that day on the field, correct?"

Kimizuki nodded. "Yes. And apparently, I'm not the only one. When the Hiragi top dogs interrogated me and Yoichi, they were demanding to know the same thing."

"And what did you tell them?"

"The truth; what else could we say?"

"That you had no idea?"

"Yes."

"I see…good. The less they know, the better."

"Um, but what about Yuu herself?" Yoichi cut in. "Should we really be keeping secrets from her like this?"

"What do you think, Yoi?" his squad leader asked patiently. "How do you think Yuichiro would react if she discovers she violently assaulted Takeshi and tried to kill you as well?"

Yoichi was startled. "Well, I…"

"It's ok," Takeshi joked. "You know that wasn't the first time I've been assaulted by Miss Hyakuya."

"I do. Except you didn't deserve it the second time she struck you," Shinoa said humorously.

"We can't worry about that now," Mitsuba cut in impatiently. "We can't change what happened in the past; it's the future we should be concerned with."

"I agree…" Risa said. "That's why I think it's best we tell Yuichiro ourselves when she wakes up. After all, it's better that she hears about it from her friends than anyone else."

"Or worse, find out on her own," Riku added grimly. "Should that happen, Yuichiro will realize that we've been keeping secrets from her and she'll be even more devastated."

"Yes, you're both right…" Shinoa agreed. "But you don't have to trouble yourselves. As her squad leader, it's _my_ duty to take care of Yuichiro and look out for her well-being."

Satoshi raised a brow. "Is that the only reason, Miss Hiragi? From the way you talk, I suspect you know more about what happened to Yuichiro than any of us."

Shinoa shook her head. "I don't know everything…" she confessed. "But I did speak to Yuu's guardian during the week she was hospitalized."

"You mean Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose?" Satoshi asked. "Do you think he knows something?"

"I do…but he refuses to talk when I confronted him and unfortunately, I don't have the authority to force an answer out of him. Honestly, it worries me that Guren is Yuu's guardian and mentor; after what happened, I feel it's like asking a wolf to guard a sheep."

"Guren? I didn't know you and the lieutenant colonel was on a first-name basis, Miss Hiragi" Daisuke said in astonishment.

"We go back a long way, Mr. Niwa; I've known the lieutenant colonel since I was eight. He and my sister were _very_ good friends."

Before anyone could press Shinoa for further details on her's and her sister's relationship with Guren, they all heard Yuichiro stirring from her spot near the fire as she hummed a tune under her breath.

"Hey, is it my imagination or is Miss Hyakuya actually _singing_ in her sleep?" Risa asked in amazement as she set down her soup bowl and moved closer to the sleeping Yuichiro.

Shinoa laughed. "It's not surprising; Yuichiro always been a fan of music. I bet you didn't know that asides from fighting, she also loves to sing."

"So Miss Hyakuya can actually carry a tune? Wow, I didn't know that!" Riku said in amazement as she also moved closer to Yuichiro and attempted to make out what her raven-haired comrade was humming.

"The tune sounds familiar…" Risa said with wonder. "I just can't put a finger on where I've heard it before…"

"I think I know…" Yoichi said humbly. "It's a song from one of my sister's favorite musicals."

"And what's that?" Kimizuki asked curiously.

"'Angel of Music.' From _**The Phantom of the Opera**_ by Andrew Lloyd Webber."

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. In the anime, DN Angel, Kurashina Menou was a young girl whose spirit became bound to the Agate Links necklace after she died of illness during Daisuke's grandfather's youth. Forty years later, Takeshi met her by chance when she finally manifested in the human world and fell in love with her. In my AU, Menou is Takeshi's demon contractor who can take the form of a fiery phoenix and a young girl in a red Victorian-style dress.**

 **2\. Like his canon DN Angel counterpart, Phantom Dark is also a huge flirt in my AU. Unlike Satoshi and Krad, Daisuke and Dark get along well but Dark will still try to possess Daisuke just so he can flirt with girls :D Both Dark and Krad are possession-type demons while Kurashina Menou is a manifestation type.**


	6. Of Demons and Kinky Dreams

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate version of the Nagoya arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. The songs "Think of Me," "Angel of Music," and "Music of the Night" are written and own by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Once again, I would like to thank my beta reader, ResidentialPsycho, for her help in making this fic possible. I would also like to thank fellow FF. Net member, VampireSiren for her suggestions as well.**

 **Chapter 6: Of Demons and Kinky Dreams**

Yuichiro hummed a soft tune under her breath as she sat at her make-up table brushing her long black hair that was in the style of glossy ringlets while gazing at her reflection in the mirror. Not long ago, the young ravenette woke up from the strangest dream she ever had.

In it, she was living in a cold, ravaged world where most of humanity has perished and the minority that remained was struggling to survive while fighting a war against vampires and other mythical monsters.

And instead of the aspiring young starlet and singing sensation she was, Yuichiro was a soldier in that dream, a swordmaiden of an army of humans skilled in the use of sorcery and controlling demons to do their bidding.

 _Strange, why would I dream such a thing?_ Yuichiro thought as she finished brushing her hair and started to put on some make-up. After a week of intense musical performances at the opera house where she lived as a choir girl and soprano solo performer, tonight was going to be her first night off and the ravenette planned to enjoy every bit of it.

As Yuichiro mulled over what she wanted to do, she suddenly remembered that she was going to meet with her friend, Mikaela, whom she had not seen since she was a child. By sheer luck, the blond youth happened to be in the audience and caught her solo performance of "Think of Me" just the night before.

One could only imagine the young soprano's surprise when Mika sent her a secret letter asking to meet him tonight since the opera house was closed for the weekend and there would be no more performances until Monday.

Excited to see her childhood friend again after so long, Yuichiro changed out of her sleeping gown into a light blue Victorian-style dress made of French silk with long sleeves flared at the elbows, a low neckline that exposed her generous bosom, and white ruffles at the hem. ***1***

After slipping on a pair of blue heeled slippers, Yuichiro was about to leave her room when she suddenly felt a gust of wind sweep her surroundings, blowing out most of the candles and shrouding her in almost complete darkness.

Uneasy at what she felt was an ominous presence in her room, Yuichiro was about to make her way for the door when she suddenly heard a loud, booming male voice, calling, _singing_ to her from seemingly out of nowhere.

" _ **Insolent boy, this slave of fashion,  
Basking in your glory!**_

 _ **Ignorant fool, this brave young suitor,  
Sharing in my triumph!"**_

Yuichiro gasped and nearly jumped out of her skin. Could it be who she thought it was? Needing to find out, the girl decided to answer in her own mellifluous voice.

" _ **Angel, I hear you.  
Speak, I listen.**_

 _ **Stay by my side,  
Guide me.**_

 _ **Angel, my soul was weak,  
Forgive me.**_

 _ **Enter at last, Master…"**_

Yuichiro could almost hear the smugness in the mysterious man's rich baritone voice when he finally responded.

" _ **Flattering child, you shall know me.**_ _ **  
**_ _ **See why in shadow I hide.**_

 _ **Look at your face in the mirror.**_ _ **  
**_ _ **I am there, inside!"**_

Feeling a rush of excitement, even with a little fear in her chest, Yuichiro slowly turned around and looked into the mirror on the other side of her room to see a tall and handsome raven-haired man with violet eyes dressed in a high-collared shirt topped with a dark ascot, a burgundy vest and dark pants. To complete his elegant ensemble, he also wore leather gloves and dress shoes of the same color. Adding to his mystique was a white mask that concealed the upper-right part of his face.

Enchanted by his angelic voice and breath-taking handsomeness, Yuichiro forgot all about Mikaela and found herself walking towards her mysterious visitor while feeling the irresistible urge to answer his call.

" _ **Angel of Music!  
Guide and guardian!**_

 _ **Grant to me your  
glory!**_

 _ **Angel of Music!  
Hide no longer!**_

 _ **Come to me, strange  
angel..."**_

The handsome stranger in the mirror smiled and offered his hand to her, his beautiful violet eyes beckoned to Yuichiro as much as his voice.

" _ **I am your Angel of Music…**_

 _ **Come to the Angel of Music…"**_

So taken was she by the man who called himself the "Angel of Music" that Yuichiro barely noticed a knock on her door followed by an attempt to open it from the person on the other side. Because it was locked, the other visitor could not get it open, at least not right away.

"Whose is that voice? Who is that in there? Yuu-chan! Yuu-chan! Open the door!"

Hearing Mikaela's voice calling out to her, Yuichiro was almost snapped out of her trance but the raven-haired man quickly reached forward and took her firmly by the wrist before pulling her into the mirror, his intense eyes never leaving hers.

" _ **I am your Angel of Music…**_

 _ **Come to the Angel of Music…"**_

Unable to focus on anything but her angel's voice, Yuichiro no longer paid any heed to Mikaela and allowed her mysterious visitor to take her away…

 **SSSSSS**

"Angel, do you have a name?" Yuichiro asked curiously as she found herself strolling along a beautiful flower garden with her arm looped around her companion's.

The older man smiled as he placed a hand on her arm. "Yes... it's Guren."

Yuichiro blushed. "I love your voice, Guren… it's so heavenly, my own pales in comparison."

"Now, now, don't say that. Your singing is absolutely lovely; I know because the crowds adore you."

Yuichiro giggled. "Thank you, that means a lot to me…" she said shyly before taking a moment to look at her vintage-style surroundings that were reminiscent of 19th century Europe.

Now that she thought of it, the ravenette had no idea how she got here. One moment, she was in her dressing room at the opera house and the next, she found herself in what appeared to be an elegant flower garden of a western-style mansion.

Curious, Yuichiro asked: "Guren, where are we? How did we get here?"

"Hush, don't worry about that now…" the older man answered gently before changing the subject. "By the way, that dress suits you very well…"

Looking down, Yuichiro was surprised to find that in addition to her different surroundings, the dress she now wore was not the sky blue one she donned while waiting for Mika to come see her, but a ruffled ivory-colored robe worn over a matching corset dress accented with a long slit. She was also wearing thigh-high stockings of the same color held up by garters and her dainty feet were clad in white heeled slippers. ***2***

Before Yuichiro could ask how her clothes had suddenly changed, she suddenly found herself in a different scenery again. This time, it was in a large elegant chamber lit with red and white candles. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed a bed at the back but didn't have time to think on it before Guren gently took her into a slow waltz as he began to sing again in his heavenly voice, accompanied by music that seem to come out of nowhere.

" _ **Night time sharpens**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Heightens each sensation**_

 _ **Darkness stirs and wakes**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Imagination**_

 _ **Silently the senses**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Abandon their defenses"**_

Yuichiro found herself spellbound by her companion; his voice seemed to wrap itself around the words of his song like silk and her cheeks became flushed as Guren continued.

" _ **Slowly, gently**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Night unfurls its splendor**_

 _ **Grasp it, sense it**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Tremulous and tender…"**_

As his singing became a little more suggestive, Yuichiro found herself shyly looking away from Guren who was not to be deterred easily. Gently taking her face in his gloved hand, the older man made her look into his piercing violet eyes once more as he sang the next verse.

" _ **Turn your face away from the garish light of day,  
Turn your face away from cold, unfeeling light -  
and listen to the music of the night..."**_

Yuichiro found herself smiling as she looked at Guren in adoration while wondering what he was trying to tell her. As enchanting as his song was, it was also a riddle that was difficult for her to grasp.

Taking her hand and raising it to his lips, Guren placed a chaste kiss upon her soft skin before releasing Yuichiro and stepped away slightly, turning his back to her for a moment before facing her again, his arms open and outstretched.

" _ **Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams!  
Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before!**_

 _ **Close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar!  
And you'll live as you've never lived before…"**_

Obeying his subtle command, Yuichiro closed her eyes and shut out everything around her except for her angel and his voice as she allowed him to take her hand again and listened for him to continue.

" _ **Softly, deftly, music shall caress you.  
Hear it, feel it, secretly possess you.**_

 _ **Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind,  
in this darkness which you know you cannot fight  
the darkness of the music of the night."**_

Opening her eyes again, Yuichiro felt Guren release her once more and stepped behind a set of tall candelabrums, gazing at her seductively as he continue to sing to her from behind the candle flames.

" _ **Let your mind start a journey through a strange, new world!  
Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before!  
Let your soul take you where you long to be!"**_

The ravenette held her breath, unable to turn her gaze away from the older man and did not move when he approached her again and gently took her face in both his gloved hands.

" _ **Only then can you belong to me…"**_

Yuichiro gasped softly and tilted her head back when Guren stepped behind her and slowly ran a hand down the front of her corset while taking her own hand with his other and placed it on the exposed side of his face as he continued.

" _ **Floating, falling, sweet intoxication!  
Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation!**_

 _ **Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in,  
To the harmony which dreams alone can write,  
The power of the music of the night!"**_

Yuichiro felt goosebumps rising on her skin at the older man's touch which was incredibly gentle, even if a little cold, and did not resist when he tugged on hand and led her to the large bed at the back of the room surrounded by candles. The sheets were white satin and covered with pink and red rose petals.

Without warning, Guren suddenly hoisted Yuichiro in his arms and gave a seductive smile as he laid her on the bed, his voice becoming as soft as the sheets around her.

" _ **You alone can make my song take flight,  
Help me make the music of the night…"**_

Shocked by his audacious move, Yuichiro yelped in embarrassment but before she could protest, she suddenly felt Guren's lips on hers as he joined her on the bed, his body hovering above her own. While she wasn't looking, his mask had mysteriously disappeared, exposing the side of his face that had been concealed previously.

To Yuichiro's surprise, there was nothing wrong with it. However, that part of Guren's face appeared a bit darker as if shrouded in shadow and it made her a bit uneasy as she pondered what it could mean. ***3***

"Why so nervous, Yuu? Isn't this what you've always wanted from me?" the older man teased as he gently caressed her cheek with a finger. It was then that Yuichiro also noticed that Guren's hand was bare with no trace of the black leather glove he was wearing only moments before.

Yuichiro blushed furiously. "I…" What was she supposed to say? If she said "no" she'd certainly be lying.

Something obviously wasn't right but the sheer pleasure of having her angel dot hot open-mouth kisses down her throat while undoing the clasps of her corset until it was almost completely open, exposing the valley between her breasts, made it impossible for Yuichiro to even think straight.

That was, until she felt a pair of sharp fangs pierce her skin and the owner began to drink her blood hungrily.

The sudden pain quickly snapped Yuichiro out of her pleasure-filled haze and she gasped, her eyes flying open as realization finally sunk in (pun intended) that her demon contractor was just messing with her.

And in the most shameless way possible.

Furious and humiliated, the ravenette shot up, placed her hands on "Guren's" chest, and used all of her strength to push him away before quickly closing her corset to keep her breasts from being exposed to him.

"Aww… I almost had you!" Asuramaru pouted as he reverted to his true form.

Yuichiro glared at him. "Dammit, Asuramaru! Don't you have anything BETTER to do with your time?!" she shrieked before picking up a satin pillow from the bed and throwing it at him.

The demon boy easily swatted the poofy projectile away and gave her a cheeky grin.

"Nope!" he answered mischievously in a sing-song tone.

If she didn't already know it would be futile, Yuichiro would have thrown the rest of the pillows at her demon contractor for his audacious prank with the illusion of her guardian and mentor.

Especially since she had already ordered him not to after he had teased her about seeing Guren shirtless and liking it while taking on the older man's form during her demon aptitude test.

Yuichiro also knew without a doubt that Asuramaru decided to use Guren's form because he realized he could no longer guilt-trip her with Mikaela's now that she knew her orphanage brother was alive and well, even if he was living as a vampire now. Having a demon contractor as powerful as Asuramaru may give her a fighting chance against the vampires but it also came at the expense of her personal privacy considering that the demon living inside her mind could see everything she's ever dreamed and fantasized about as if it were a movie playing on a big screen TV.

"Don't you _ever_ do that again, you bastard!" Yuichiro shouted. "I'm sure it's still not too late for me to form a contract with another demon if I wanted!" the ravenette threatened as she pointed a shaking finger at Asuramaru.

"And how would you know if having another demon will be any different?" Asuramaru challenged. "Have you forgotten that we too, have wishes and desires of our own and need a body to fulfill them? That's the only reason we agree to obey and be bound to you in the first place!"

Knowing that the purple-haired demon was right, Yuichiro sighed and ran a hand through her unbound hair which was straight again instead of the European-style ringlets Asuramaru gave her in the illusion.

"And what exactly are _your_ wishes and desires, Asuramaru? Whatever they are, I sympathize with you but I'm not going to just hand you my body to use as you see fit."

The purple-haired demon raised a brow. In all the centuries that had had been bound to Yuichiro's katana and passed from one owner to the next, not one of them had ever bothered to ask _him_ what he wanted from their contract, only told him what _they_ wanted.

Upon noticing her demon hesitate, Yuichiro persisted. "Well, Asuramaru? What are you hoping to achieve by making a contract with me? Even if you manage to take over my body, what will you do? Where will you go? What are you looking for?"

Asuramaru was startled by his mistress's barrage of questions which he was totally unprepared to answer.

"I…" he began before closing his mouth again. As a demon, Asuramaru knew he had been a vampire in his previous life as well as a human before that but could not really remember too much detail before he was bound to the sword Yuichiro wore around her belt. ***4***

It didn't take Yuichiro long to realize the truth when her demon did not, or more accurately, could not answer her questions.

"You don't really know what you want, do you?" she asked incredulously.

Now it was Asuramaru's turn to be embarrassed that a girl centuries younger than himself had figured out the truth so easily. But that didn't stop him from attempting to give a convincing answer.

"No, I do. I'm actually looking for someone… a family member…"

"Oh really? Who?" Yuichiro asked curiously.

Astonished that his mistress actually showed a genuine interest in knowing what he wanted, the purple-haired demon tried his best to give as much of an accurate answer as he could.

"A sister… my only sister… I cannot really recall her name or even her face very well but the one thing I am certain of is that she's my twin, almost like you and Mikaela."

"Wow, really? I guess that means we have a common goal of sorts. If that's the case, I believe it would be much easier for us to find the family we're looking for if we work together rather than against each other, don't you agree, Asuramaru?"

"You mean, like comrades? I'm not like your squad members; you know that, Miss Hyakuya."

"Yes, I do but I still think we can work together as allies towards a common goal so we can both get what we want. Think about it, what have you got to lose, Asuramaru? Taking over my body will be useless if you don't even know where to start looking for your twin sister. Shinoa mentioned that vampires and demons are connected so if she's one or the other, I'm sure I can help you figure out who your sister is and find her while I'm searching for Mika as well."

Asuramaru rested his chin on hand as if considering Yuichiro's offer. "Hmm…you do have a point. Since I can't really remember too many details of my sister, I will probably need your help after all."

Yuichiro's eyes brightened. "So you agree?" she asked as she offered him her hand.

Asuramaru hesitated for a moment before he finally relented and took it.

"Yes…" he said.

"Great!" Yuichiro said excitedly as she took her demon in a fierce hug before either of them even realized what she was doing.

Since the time Yuu had subconsciously praised the attractiveness of his feminine legs, Asuramaru blushed and when she realized what she was doing, his human contractor finally released him before becoming serious again.

"I'm really glad we came to an agreement, Asuramaru," she said. "I promise to do my best to help you if you do me a favor and promise me something in return."

"And that is?"

"Don't ever give me dreams of Guren again. You know he and I aren't like that."

"Yes, I do. But you should also know that I wouldn't be able to give you such dreams if you didn't already have subconscious feelings for your mentor. I know you love his voice and singing as well as his protectiveness of you, even if he _is_ a little possessive."

"Guren only sees me as a tool to achieve his ends; he himself admitted it."

"No, you are wrong. He admitted that he saved you because he had need of your abilities, not that he had absolutely no care or concern for your well-being."

"Caring about my 'well-being' is kind of necessary for me to be of use to him, Asuramaru," Yuichiro replied bitterly.

The purple-haired boy rolled his eyes. "I won't deny that, Yuu. But consider this: you've lived under your guardian's protection for almost five years. If you were really nothing but a tool to him, he would have treated you like those vampires imprisoned in the labs beneath Shibuya and Shinjuku instead of raising you in his own home. I'm also sure it would have been much easier to keep you a secret from the Hiragis that way too."

Yuichiro was silent for a moment as she considered Asuramaru's words. "Perhaps you're right. Even so, I will never be anything but a child to Guren."

The demon boy grinned. "One normally doesn't sing so sensually to someone they see as a child, Yuu. I wouldn't be able to imitate his voice so well if not for your memories of him singing to you while tucking you into bed for the night. You know Guren Ichinose is a very private man and does not show that side of himself to many people."

"Maybe…" Yuichiro replied after a moment's hesitation. "But I can't worry about that now; my top priority is to find Mika and now your twin sister. It doesn't matter how I might feel about my guardian; I must keep my promise to Mika first because he needs me far more than Guren does."

Asuramaru frowned. Though she would never admit it, he knew Yuichiro's affection for Guren had not disappeared even after finding out that he had saved her for his own purposes as well as the fact that Mikaela still lived.

And he had no doubt this will cause the girl problems in the future.

However, he didn't want to waste time and energy arguing with Yuichiro about something that wasn't really his business so he did not pursue the subject of her guardian further.

"I understand, Yuu. It's not my place to tell you who to pledge your loyalty and your heart to. I just hope that whoever you choose, he will be the right one. Very well, then, we have a deal. We'll work together and I'll lend you my power whenever you need it so long as you remember your promise."

Relieved that her demon was finally willing to drop the uncomfortable subject of her relationship with Guren, Yuichiro sighed.

"Thank you, Asuramaru. You have no idea how much that means to me."

"Well, I'm sure I'll find out in time," he replied humorously. "Right now, I think it's about time for you to wake up; your friends are waiting for you."

With a wave of his hand, Asuramaru materialized the sword that also carried his name before Yuichiro.

"Take your sword, the tie that binds us, and let its power flow through you," he ordered.

Without hesitating, Yuichiro obeyed and as her demon promised, she could feel a surge of energy flow through her sword arm and into her body.

 _I did it! Thank you, Asuramaru!_ The ravenette thought excitedly before taking one last look at her demon contractor, her bright green eyes showing their gratitude.

As she expected, Asuramaru read her mind and gave her a genuine smile, the first she had ever seen since they had met.

"You're welcome, Yuu. Good luck and remember your promise…"

 _I will…_ Yuichiro answered silently before she closed her eyes and focused on returning to the human world.

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. The first dress fem!Yuu wears in her dream is based on the blue one worn by actress Sierra Boggess who plays Christine in the stage version of the "Phantom of the Opera".**

 **2\. The second dress fem!Yuu wears is based on the white one worn by actress Emmy Rossum in the movie version of "The Phantom of the Opera".**

 **3\. In Asuramaru's illusion, Guren wears a mask even though there is nothing physically wrong with his face. The shadowy side revealed when the mask vanishes symbolizes the dark secrets and past of the real Guren Ichinose in the human world. Since Asuramaru was Mahiru's demon weapon before he was Yuichiro's, I assume he would know at least a few things about Guren's past.**

 **4\. In the manga, Raimeiki mentions to Kureto that demons do not really remember their lives before they are bound to the weapons of their human contractors. Asuramaru also mentions to male!Yuu that he could not really remember too many details of his sister, just that he has one.**


	7. The Darkness Within Us All: Part I

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate version of the Nagoya arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta reader, ResidentialPsycho, for her help in making this fic possible. I would also like to thank my readers who have been following me since I first started this fem!Yuu AU saga; your reviews mean a lot to me and keep me inspired to keep going. Enjoy and please review! :D**

 **Chapter 7: The Darkness Within Us All, Part I**

Yuichiro gasped and her eyes flew open as soon as she claimed the sword that carried the name of her Asuramaru in her hand once more and allowed its power to flow through her. Instead of a soft bed with satin sheets adorned with rose petals, the ravenette found herself lying on a simple cotton blanket spread on the cold, hard ground and covered with Kimizuki's jacket.

Looking up, Yuichiro saw both her own squad mates as well as her allies in Satoshi's squad gathered around her in a circle and staring down at her in wide-eyed wonder. She wasn't sure if she was imagining it, but Yuichiro also thought she saw a hint of bewilderment in their features as well. The ravenette was about to ask both squads why they were looking at her in such a way when it suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks that they might have heard her moaning when Asuramaru as Guren attempted to seduce her in his grand illusion while she was asleep.

Blushing furiously, Yuichiro blurted: "What?!"

Not wanting to embarrass the other girl, Shinoa made a quick gesture to silence the others and let her do the talking.

"Are you all right, Yuu? How did it go with your demon?" she asked politely.

Grateful to Shinoa for attempting to help her save face, Yuichiro answered with as much confidence as she could.

"It went well; I have Asuramaru under my control."

"So has he finally submitted to you?"

"Yes."

Shinoa gave a sign of relief. "That's good to hear. You were out for most of the night so I was starting to worry."

Yuichiro was startled. "What? Did all of you stay up to watch me?"

"Well, yes and no," Satoshi answered. "We all took turns resting and keeping watch in case any vampires or other monsters were to find us. Luckily, there weren't any after Yoichi and Takeshi took out those Horsemen of John earlier."

Ever so curious, Daisuke wanted to ask Yuichiro what she dreamt of before his squad leader gave him a quick glance that told him it was better if he didn't.

Unfortunately, it wasn't that hard for the red-haired boy's demon contractor to figure out.

" _Isn't it obvious, Dai? Miss Hyakuya must have had some sort of wet dream with that demon of hers!"_ Daisuke heard Dark laugh in the corner of his mind.

Blushing, the red-haired boy tried not to think about what his demon was suggesting, but he had to admit that Dark was probably right.

" _You would know all about that, wouldn't you, Dark?"_ Daisuke thought wryly, knowing his demon could hear him. _"If I was a girl, would you be messing with my dreams in_ that _manner too?"_

" _Haha, what makes you think you have to be a girl for me to do_ that, _Dai?"_ Dark teased. _"But now that you mention it…"_

Forgetting about Yuichiro for a moment, Daisuke clenched his fists and silently hissed to the demon in his mind.

" _Don't even think about it, Dark!"_ he warned.

" _Sure, whatever you say, Mr. Niwa…"_ the phantom thief teased before trailing off, his silence making his human contractor a bit nervous though he tried his hardest not to show it.

It was times like these that the red-haired boy wished he ended up with Krad as his demon instead of Dark. But Daisuke knew that was just wishful thinking and that he and Satoshi both had to settle with the demons they ended up with as their weapons and contractors.

Trying not to think about Dark's words before the demon vanished into the recesses of his mind, Daisuke turned to Shinoa and tried to change the subject.

"So what now, Miss Hiragi?" he asked.

Shinoa grinned. Although thrilled to see that Yuichiro was successful in getting Asuramaru to finally submit to her, she knew there was still one more member of her squad who still needed to take the plunge before both her and Satoshi's squads could proceed further.

"Isn't it obvious?" the purple-haired girl asked. "Now that Yuichiro has passed her latest test with flying colors, it's now Kimizuki's turn."

Mitsuba scowled. "What? We've already exerted enough time and effort guarding Yuu while she was off in la-la land. Can't Kimizuki's test wait until tomorrow?"

To that, the pink-haired boy gave his blonde squad mate a glare. Everyone knew he volunteered to let Yuichiro go first in order to deter her from inquiring about the events in Shinjuku but he was just as eager as she was to master his own demon, Kiseki-O.

"Fuck, no! I'm doing it right now!" Kimizuki insisted. "The sooner I get this over with, the sooner we can move on from this dump!"

Mitsuba was about to make a sharp retort to her pink-haired squad mate's less-than-courteous response when Shinoa cut in to prevent the two from starting an argument.

"Wait, Mi-chan, I agree with Kimizuki. We're in the middle of a war, and we can't afford to waste time stalling. You know as well as I do that the vampires and other monsters can come for us anytime so it's imperative that all of us master the use of our demons as soon as possible. Isn't that right, Mr. Hiwatari?" Shinoa asked as she turned to her fellow squad leader as if seeking his support.

Satoshi nodded. "Yes, that's right," he agreed. "I wasted no time in getting my own squad to master their demons even though I normally don't like to rush things. But it's like you said, Miss Hiragi, we're in the middle of a war so our victory, our very survival, will undoubtedly depend on it."

Grateful that he had the approval of both squad leaders, Kimizuki cooled down and withdrew his twin swords from their sheaths. Taking the hint, Yuichiro finally stood up and returned the pink-haired boy's jacket to him when she noticed that he was the only one in the group without one.

"Thanks for letting me borrow this, Kimizuki," Yuichiro said politely. "And for catching me before I fell to the ground on my face back there. You didn't have to, really."

The pink-haired boy found himself blushing when he heard the Harada twins giggling as they recalled his display of concern and affection when he chose to drape his jacket over Yuichiro and bear the night time chilliness since their camp fire did not really provide him enough warmth without it. Even Shinoa and Mitsuba joined in while the other boys gave him playful smiles despite not uttering a word.

"It's all right, Yuu; think nothing of it. Taking care of each other is what friends and comrades do, after all. Speaking of which, I think I'll be needing that blanket you were laying on for my own hurdle with Kiseki-O."

"Yes, of course. Would you like my jacket to keep you warm this time?"

Although the ravenette didn't mean anything by it, her offer finally prompted both squads into laughter, even Satoshi, who was almost always so serious.

Unamused by their shenanigans, Kimizuki glared at the rest of their comrades. "What's so funny?" he demanded.

Shinoa, who knew well that Yuichiro's offer was an innocent one, finally made a gesture for both her and Satoshi's squads to be silent.

"Nothing!" the purple-haired girl insisted. "Yuichiro just wanted to return the favor and make sure you're warm and comfortable when you finally confront Kiseki-O in your subconscious. Like her, it will require you to be asleep and since we can't offer you the luxury of a bed, you'll have to settle for a blanket on the cold, hard, ground. And Yuu's jacket if need something extra to keep you warm," Shinoa finished with a wink.

Everyone knew that Shinoa was obviously using the offer of Yuu's jacket to tease Kimizuki since she had already mentioned earlier that she brought enough blankets for everyone should they need them.

However, instead of calling his squad leader out on it, Kimizuki decided it best to end the awkward conversation and said:

"Never mind, that won't be necessary. I won't require anything other than a blanket to lay on, so my uniform won't get dirty; it's not like I'll feel the cold when I'm this close to the fire and sleeping anyway."

Yuichiro frowned. "Are you sure, Kimizuki?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

Shinoa sighed but finally ceased her teasing. "Ok, then. Let's not waste any more time and let Kimizuki get started. We'll do the same as we did when Yuu was asleep; take turns resting and keeping guard until he's finished."

Relieved that his squad leader was finally willing to let him begin, Kimizuki asked, "So how shall I start? The same way as Yuu did?"

"Yes, that's right. Though I think it would be better if you lay down first before piercing yourself with your blades and letting Kiseki-O drink your blood. Except in your case, you'll be required to cut yourself with both of your swords if you know what I mean."

"Yes, I do."

Shinoa nodded and said nothing more before giving the pink-haired boy her approval to begin. Once Kimizuki was lying down comfortably on the blanket Yuichiro had used previously, he made a firm grip on both swords he was holding by the blades and made them cut into his skin while doing his best to ignore the pain.

Both Shinoa's and Satoshi's squads made sure to have their weapons ready in case their pink-haired comrade was to go berserk but fortunately, Kimizuki's journey into the world of his mind went much more smoothly than Yuichiro's and his eyelids fell closed after releasing a brief gasp.

Once Kimizuki was asleep, Yuichiro turned to her squad leader and asked:

"Do you think he'll be all right, Shinoa?"

"Of course he will, Yuu. I have the utmost faith in him and you should, too."

Feeling a twinge of guilt for even doubting her pink-haired squad mate who had caught her not once, but twice after she fainted and prevented her from collapsing onto the cold, hard ground, Yuichiro sighed.

"You're right, Shinoa. I shouldn't doubt Kimizuki like that, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, Yuu. All I need from you is to make sure you're here for him when he wakes up, just like he was there for you."

"I will, make no doubt about that."

 **SSSSSS**

"AAAAHHHH!" Kimizuki screamed as he lay in his dream-like state on the blanket Yuichiro used before finally bending Asuramaru to her will. Or more accurately, forming a mutually beneficial partnership with him by promising to help find his lost twin sister.

To prevent Kimizuki from hurting himself or anyone else, Yoichi, Satoshi, Daisuke, and Takeshi all put their best efforts into holding their pink-haired comrade down while the girls stood by with their weapons drawn to keep watch in case any vampires or monsters were to attack.

"Shinoa, what's happening to him?" Yuichiro demanded as a bead of sweat formed on her brow from worrying over her pink-haired comrade and everyone knew she had reason to be. Unlike before, Kimizuki, was taking much longer to subdue the demon within his subconscious.

"He's undoubtedly duking it out with Kiseki-O inside his mind, but I'm afraid it might not be going well for him if he's taking this long," Shinoa admitted worriedly as she wiped her own brow.

"Was I this bad while I was with Asuramaru?" Yuichiro asked curiously as she watched the other boys restrain Kimizuki.

Shinoa shook her head. "No… I don't know what kind of illusion your demon showed you but it's unlikely to be anything as bad as what Kimizuki's seeing now, whatever it is. The strangest thing we've seen you do while you were asleep is sing," the purple-haired girl answered while purposely neglecting that Yuichiro was also moaning a little as well to avoid embarrassing her.

Although grateful to her squad leader for leaving _that_ part out, Yuichiro had to admit she _was_ lucky Asuramaru tried to deceive her with a pleasant, even if audacious, illusion of her mentor instead of the nightmare Kiseki-O was probably showing Kimizuki now.

"So what are we going to _do?"_ Yuichiro persisted.

"I'm afraid that at this rate, his demon might end up completely possessing him if something doesn't change. If Kimizuki does go berserk, we may have no choice but to kill him," Mitsuba answered grimly while tightening her grip on her demon axe.

Although the blonde girl's words sounded rather cold, everyone could tell that killing Kimizuki would greatly pain her if it came to that.

Yuichiro turned to Shinoa and gave her a pleading look as if asking if there was any other way but her squad leader shook her head sadly.

"No, I'm afraid Mi-chan is right." Turning to the Harada twins, she said:

"Risa, Riku, I need both of you as well as Yuu and Mi-chan to be ready for that possibility."

Risa frowned and was silent for a moment before turning to her twin as if asking if it was the right thing to do. And Riku, who was the more sensible of the two and less prone to letting her emotions cloud her better judgement than Risa, nodded.

"It's all right, Shinoa. We understand. Right, Risa?"

The younger brunette girl hesitated but upon seeing the serious look upon her twin's face, finally sighed.

"Yes. We'll be prepared for the worst," was all she could bring herself to say.

Yuichiro frowned as she gave her female comrades a look of disappointment.

"Don't talk about Kimizuki as if he's already lost to the demon! He's stronger than that, I know it!"

Mitsuba sighed. "I never thought I'd ever say this, but I actually hope you're right, Yuu."

Not knowing what else to say, Yuichiro remained silent while taking another look in the direction of the struggling and screaming pink-haired boy as well as their male comrades who were doing their best to hold him down.

As if reading both of their minds, Shinoa said: "We all do, Mi-chan. We all do."

 **SSSSSS**

"Stop dodging me like a coward and fight like a man!" Kimizuki screamed as he swung his twin swords at the child-like demon whose angelic face did little to conceal his malicious nature.

Kiseki-O gave a rude snicker as he easily evaded the pink-haired boy's sword swings before finally striking back with his own twin swords.

"A man?" he mocked. "That sure sounds funny coming from someone who can't even fight like one himself! More like an impetuous child!"

Kimizuki gritted his teeth at the demon's insult but did his best not to let his anger get the better of him while trying to think of a way to penetrate Kiseki-O's defenses and ignore the pain of numerous injuries inflicted upon him by the demon's blades.

Reading his mind, the demon boy decided to have a bit more fun at his human contractor's expense.

"Trying to think of a way to hit me? Well, that's a first considering that you haven't even been able to scratch me yet!" Kiseki-O laughed.

"Shut up, you despicable piece of shit! I won't let you take over my body _ever_ so why don't you just submit to me, already?!" Kimizuki shouted before he finally gave in to his demon's taunting and took another wild swing at Kiseki-O's head in an attempt to decapitate him.

The demon boy's smile vanished and his playful, even if mocking, expression was replaced with a scowl as if he found Kimizuki's demand insulting.

"I do not submit to the weak," he replied sharply.

"I am NOT weak, you little bastard!" his enraged human contractor spat.

"Oh, is that so?" Kiseki-O challenged as he deftly knocked one of Kimizuki's twin swords out of his hand and quickly plunged one of his own through the stunned pink-haired boy's chest from the opening he had unwittingly provided.

"See how easily you fell?" he mocked as he brought his face closer to Kimizuki's and licked a bleeding gash on his human's contractor's cheek in an almost lustful manner, making him curl in disgust at the obscene gesture. "Just save yourself further embarrassment and admit that you lost, Shiho Kimizuki. Your body is as good as mine so you may as well give up. But before you do, let's take another trip down memory lane now shall we?"

The pink-haired boy was about to tell his demon contractor to fuck off but before he could even open his mouth, Kiseki-O twisted the blade he impaled in Kimizuki's chest around, making him howl in pain before darkness finally surrounded them both…

 **SSSSSS**

 **Five Years Ago…**

Eleven year-old Shiho Kimizuki gently placed a hand across his bed-ridden younger sister's forehead to check for her temperature like he had seen his mother do countless times when either he or Mirai fell sick in the past. Though he was no doctor, the pink-haired boy knew that his sister's fever had not improved much in the last week since he had brought her to this abandoned run-down apartment complex he and the rest of the neighborhood kids had taken refuge in. ***1***

It had been a week since Kimizuki had led his small group of friends away from their neighborhood in Kyoto where they had been staying previously. Since he was the only one who could drive and read maps, they tolerated his insistence of bringing Mirai with them but the younger girl was becoming more troublesome to handle by the day. Despite being sick, she was able to at least walk a bit and get into the car by herself at first but now Mirai can barely move and needed her brother to carry her whenever the group needed to move.

Kimizuki had learned quickly that the safest times to move was usually during daytime from the early morning hours to late afternoon when the vampires and other monsters roaming the city were scarcer.

Even so, he still knew that extreme precaution must be taken. Not only was his sister dependent on him for survival, the local neighborhood kids were as well. Kimizuki hated being depended on by everyone but even he had to admit that he needed all the help he could get to ensure Mirai's survival. So far, the pink-haired boy had been lucky in persuading his friends to help her in exchange for his leadership but he knew that their luck was starting to run out as Mirai's condition grew worst everyday with no sign of recovery in sight.

"Nii-san…" the younger girl said weakly as she slowly opened her eyes and looked up at the big brother she so adored.

Seeing Mirai's hopeful expression made Kimizuki forget his problems for the moment and he smiled down at her while thinking of happier times when she used to follow him almost everywhere he went and watched with great interest everything he did.

"I'm sorry, Mirai, did I wake you?" Kimizuki asked gently while stroking his sister's soft, even if slightly damp hair from her fevered brow.

The younger girl tried her best to look cheerful, if only to keep her brother's spirits up.

"Nope! I was already awake!" she giggled.

Kimizuki's heart fluttered at seeing his sister seem so happy, even in the face of such adversity.

"I'm glad to hear that" he said. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling great!" Mirai answered while trying her best to sound convincing. "So you don't have to worry about me, Nii-san."

Kimizuki got up from his seat next to his sister's bedside. "That's good. Since you're awake, let me get you something to eat."

Mirai shook her head. "I don't need any food right now; why don't you go eat instead? I hardly ever see you eat anything because you've been giving it all to me and the others, right?"

The pink-haired boy shook his head as he tried to hide the fact that his sister was right. "Of course not, Mirai. Whenever you sleep, I always go out and have a big meal" he insisted.

"Nii-san, you can't lie to me! You think I can't hear your tummy growling whenever you're next to me?" she scolded.

Kimizuki blinked. "W..what do you mean, Mirai?"

The younger girl sighed sadly. "You're getting skinnier every day, Nii-san, I can see it. I don't want to be a burden to you just because I'm too sick to get out of bed; it's probably better if you just left me behind and go on with the others…"

"What? Don't be ridiculous, Mirai! You are _not_ a burden to me! I'm doing all this because I _want_ to, not because I feel like I _have_ to!" Kimizuki insisted.

To his surprise, "Mirai's" face twisted into a sinister expression that was nothing like the sister he loved.

"Now that isn't completely true, isn't it, _Nii-san?"_ she mocked in a voice that was not her own.

Kimizuki narrowed his eyes at "Mirai" when understanding slowly dawned upon him. "I see now… This is another one of your dumbass illusions, isn't it, Kiseki-O?"

The disguised demon boy grinned and gave a cruel snicker. "Oh, but this is no illusion, Shiho Kimizuki. These are without a doubt, _your_ memories and darkest secrets. You may put up a façade to make your sister feel better but the truth is there were times you wanted to take Mirai up on her offer and abandon her when things started getting rough."

The pink-haired boy gritted his teeth as he closed his fists tight enough to cut off his blood circulation at his demon's cold, hard words which he can't deny was true, at least partly.

After all, caring for a terminally ill sibling while trying to lead a group of neighborhood kids to safety in a cold, dark, post-apocalyptic world would have been enough to drive _anyone_ to the brink of despair, let alone an eleven-year-old boy.

As Kimizuki searched his mind for a rebuttal to Kiseki-O's words, he suddenly heard a loud knock at the door. There was no doubt in his mind that the boys he sent to the local abandoned shopping plaza to search for food and other necessities have finally returned.

Glad to have an excuse to get away from his demon contractor, Kimizuki quickly turned and made his way to the door. Out of habit, he asked who it was before opening it even though such a thing wasn't necessary anymore since all the adults have perished and he had not seen any other children in the area when he and his friends arrived at the run-down apartment complex.

As he predicted, he found three of his friends from school and his neighborhood outside. But this time, they came back empty-handed.

"You're back already?" Kimizuki asked after he stepped outside and made sure to close the door behind him. "That was quick. Did you find anything?"

One of the boys, a brunette named Shinji, who was the second oldest in the group next to Kimizuki himself, answered. ***2***

"I'm sorry, Shiho. We've already scavenged everything editable from the local shops over the last week. There's no food left; we have no choice but to move on and soon if we want to survive."

The other two boys nodded. "I agree with Shinji," said another boy named Shirou. "If there was still any food left in this area, we would have already found it. Our rations are going quick so we have to be out of here no sooner than tomorrow."

Kimizuki sighed but nodded. "Ok, I understand. Just give until morning to get my sister ready to move-"

"No. Just leave her."

Startled, everyone turned to the third boy who made the suggestion.

After he had recovered from his shock, Kimizuki glared at the boy. "W..what did you say?"

The boy, whose name was Toru, sighed. "I said leave her, Shiho. She's just ba-"

Before Toru could even finish the sentence, Kimizuki suddenly grabbed him by the throat in a rage, gripping him tightly enough to cut off his hair flow.

Fearing that their leader would end up choking the younger boy to death, Shinji and Shirou grabbed Kimizuki and forced him to release Toru who struggled to catch his breath after he was freed.

After waiting a few moments for Toru to recover, Shinji shot him a glare while maintaining his grip on Kimizuki's shoulder to restrain him in case he was considering another attack on the younger boy for his unwise words.

"Calm down, Kimizuki! As for you, Toru, I told you to be careful how you say it, didn't I?"

"What?" the pink-haired boy demanded as he grabbed and flung Shinji's hand away from his shoulder and spun around to glare at his other friend.

Taking a deep breath, Shinji, who was the secondary leader of the group, said:

"Look, I know this isn't what you want to hear, Shiho, but Toru is right. I tried to keep everyone else's spirits up for your sake as well as Mirai's. But even _you_ have to admit that she isn't going to get any better, only worse. Not only do we have to worry about finding food, we also have to avoid the monsters roaming the city as well as the vampires at night. We need you since you're the only one who can drive and read maps."

"That's right," Shirou agreed. "Look, Shiho, it's nothing personal but even if you manage to take Mirai from here, how long do you think she'll last at the rate her condition is deteriorating? All the adults are dead, making us the oldest people in town, possibly the whole world. We have an obligation, a responsibility to ensure the survival of the younger kids under our care too; you can't deny this."

Kimizuki could not believe what he was hearing. "Why you ungrateful bastards!" he shouted angrily as he pointed a shaking finger at his so-called friends. "After all I've done for you, you expect me to just abandon my only sister to a slow and painful death?!"

Shinji shook his head while making a gesture for Kimizuki to lower his voice. "No, Shiho. No one is saying that. There _is_ something you can do for her."

"And that is?"

As if in answer, Shinji reached into his jacket and pulled out a small semi-automatic pistol and handed it to Kimizuki. The pink-haired boy's breath hitched in his throat as he quickly caught on to his friend's silent suggestion. ***3***

"Where did you get this, Shinji?" he asked slowly.

"It was my father's," the other boy answered without emotion. "Before we left our neighborhood, I made sure to take it with me in case something like this was to happen."

"You cannot be suggesting…"

"I am. I don't think there's any delicate way to say this but you must kill Mirai for all of our sakes. It doesn't have to be painful. Just shoot her through the heart; she'll die instantly and won't have to suffer anymore. It's what Mirai herself would have wanted."

If looks could kill, the glare Kimizuki gave Shinji would have stuck him dead on the spot.

"Wait a minute… did _you_ put that stupid idea into her head, Shinji?"

"No, I did not," the other boy insisted. "Mirai said it herself, she didn't want to be a burden to you but she's too weak to take her own life. That's why she wants _you_ to do it."

"You lie!" Kimizuki shouted and without thinking, pointed the weapon in Shinji's direction, causing the other boy to back off in fear when he realized his mistake in handing it to Kimizuki after suggesting the pink-haired boy kill his own sister in cold blood.

"Whoa, calm down, Shiho! You're not thinking rationally here!" he exclaimed with his hands in the air before turning to Shirou and Toru.

Without saying a word, Shinji nodded in Kimizuki's direction and taking the hint, the other two boys quickly shot forward and grabbed Kimizuki in an attempt to restrain him so that Shinji could take his semi-automatic back and do what the pink-haired boy himself could not: kill Mirai Kimizuki.

But Kimizuki himself would not allow it. In addition to being the smartest member of their little group, the pink-haired boy was also the strongest and quickly broke free of Shirou and Toru's grip on his arms. After the other two boys were flung back, Kimizuki and Shinji found themselves fighting for possession of the pistol, each struggling to take it away from the other.

That was, until the loaded firearm suddenly went off and Shinji's face froze in sudden pain and shock as he tipped over in Kimizuki's direction. It didn't take long for everyone to figure out what happened.

Horrified at what he had just done, Kimizuki dropped the gun and quickly caught Shinji as he collapsed into his arms. In a cruel and ironic twist of fate, the pink-haired boy realized that he had accidently shot his friend through the heart and before death finally claimed him, Shinji opened his mouth as if asking:

 _Why, Shiho?_

"No…" Kimizuki gasped even though there was no denying the blood that was dripping down Shinji's corpse and forming a puddle at their feet.

Upon witnessing the shocking scene, Shirou and Toru stared at Kimizuki with fear in their eyes.

"Shiho…what have you done?!" they demanded.

"I-I didn't mean to; it was an accident!" Kimizuki protested.

Even though what he said _was_ the truth, it didn't change the fact that Shinji was dead because of him. And fearing that they could be next, the other two boys finally decided that they couldn't follow their leader anymore and rather take their chances without him.

Without saying another word, Shirou grabbed Toru by the wrist and urged the younger boy to run away with him which he did without argument.

After the two finally left, Kimizuki realized that they had abandoned him and lowered Shinji's lifeless body to the ground. Despite what the other boy had suggested, he never intended to kill his friend but it was too late; the damage was done and he was going to have to live out the rest of his life knowing that he took someone else's away, even if it _was_ an accident.

"I'm sorry, Shinji…" Kimizuki said tearfully as he bent over and closed the dead boy's opened eyes with his fingers. If he could, the pink-haired boy would have buried his friend but he knew he had neither the time nor the means to do so. Not only that, Mirai still needed him and from here on out, it was going to be just the two of them.

After putting Shinji to rest in a bedroom of an apartment unit next to his and Mirai's, Kimizuki returned to find his sister wide awake and staring at him with a questioning look in her eyes.

No doubt, the younger girl had heard the argument and gunshot from her room and her eyes wandered to the blood on her big brother's shirt. In addition to that, Kimizuki also picked up his late friend's semi-automatic and took it back with him.

"Nii-san…" Mirai began.

Kimizuki shook his head as he closed his eyes and tried to gather his thoughts. "No…don't say anything, Mirai…" he pleaded.

"I don't want to be a burden to you..." she insisted. "So kill me like you killed Shinji just now."

"Stop it!" Kimizuki cried. "Just stop, please…"

It was all becoming too much for him and for a moment, he actually considered doing what his sister suggested.

Knowing he had Kimizuki right where he wanted him, Kiseki-O grinned. "See? I was right, wasn't I? For a moment there, you wished could just end it all. And why not? No one would blame you; after all, you're just a child too. Why should you be burdened with caring for your sick little sister as well as your ungrateful 'friends'?"

Not waiting for Kimizuki to answer, Kiseki-O as Mirai finally sat up and got out of bed. Stepping behind the pink-haired boy, the demon hugged him from behind and spoke once more in the voice of the sister he loved.

"It's ok, Nii-san. I just want you to be happy so do what should have been done then; kill me and put my out of my misery and we'll both be so much better off."

As "Mirai" tightened her hold on him slightly, Kimizuki finally managed to calm down.

"I understand…" he began slowly. "It's all starting to become clear…"

"Hmm? What is?"

"Not long ago, I met this young girl. She is brilliant and an excellent fighter, even if a bit rash and impulsive, often taking reckless chances whenever someone she cares about is in danger. And all this time, she's been obsessed with saving someone she had lost a long time ago: a boy who lived in the same orphanage as her when they were kids…"

"And what of it?"

"What of it? The boy isn't even related to her and she's willing to do anything to save him. You and I, on the other hand, _are_ blood-related so how could I not do the same?"

Kiseki-O scowled as he released his hold on Kimizuki. "What are you getting at, Shiho?"

Kimizuki slowly turned around and looked at the demon who was wearing the face of his cherished younger sister in the eye.

"What I mean is that if the only solution is to kill my sister, then I'd rather die myself," the pink-haired boy said calmly as he slowly brought Shinji's pistol to the side of his head.

"Stop! What do you think you're doing?!" Kiseki-O demanded as his eyes widened in shock.

Instead of answering his demon contractor, Kimizuki closed his eyes and pulled the trigger.

And as soon as he did so, the illusion shattered and both he and Kiseki-O found themselves in an empty void surrounded by white light…

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. The canon story doesn't exactly say where Kimizuki and Mirai lived prior to the apocalypse but I assumed it was Kyoto.**

 **2\. The three boys who suggested Kimizuki kill his sister were not specifically named in canon except for Toru in the manga version. In my AU, I chose to name the other two Shinji and Shirou.**

 **3\. In canon, Kimizuki's friends suggest he kill Mirai with a knife but for my AU, I changed the weapon to a gun to make the accident with Shinji possible and more dramatic.**


	8. The Darkness Within Us All: Part II

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate version of the Nagoya arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta reader, ResidentialPsycho, for her help in making this fic possible. On another note, I also have illustrations from the fem!Yuu and Asuramaru as Guren illusion from chapter 6 posted on my DA and Ao3 as well as Twitter for anyone who wants to see them. That said, enjoy and please review!**

 **Chapter 8: The Darkness Within Us All, Part II**

"Damn you, Shiho Kimizuki…" Kiseki-O cursed when he saw his human contractor slowly stand up from where he had collapsed after shooting himself in the head.

"Heh, I'll _never_ do as you say, demon," the pink-haired boy said smugly before he suddenly charged forward and made a clean strike at Kiseki-O's chest, leaving an x-shaped mark across the creature's sternum that stretched down to his belly.

"You're better than I thought" Kiseki-O admitted. "It looks like I'll have to work just a bit harder to force your submission."

"Dream on, you little bastard!" Kimizuki shot back. "The only one who'll be submitting is _you!"_

Kiseki-O grinned. "I wouldn't be so sure of that, Shiho. Despite your efforts to be noble and self-sacrificing, there is still darkness inside you, darkness so deep that you wouldn't hesitate to betray your new friends if it meant saving your sister."

"And your point is?"

"My point is even the noblest of souls have a dark side, including this Yuichiro you so admire. Even though I _can_ appreciate your efforts to be like her. Very well, Shiho, you win for now. I'll lend you my power so long as your conviction remains strong. Call upon me to possess you whenever you are in need of my help."

"I will…" Kimizuki replied as he re-sheathed his swords. "But I'll also keep my eye on you, demon" he warned.

Kiseki-O chuckled. "Likewise, Shiho. You can wake up now; your friends are waiting for you."

The pink-haired boy snorted. "Like I need your permission to wake-up," he mocked as he turned his back on Kiseki-O and willed himself to return to the human world.

 **SSSSSS**

"Ugghh…" Kimizuki groaned as he turned in his sleep once more, worrying Yuichiro as well as the rest of Shinoa's and Satoshi's squads.

Looking to her squad leader, the ravenette said: "Shinoa, I'm really worried. Kimizuki is taking way too long to get up. And as much as I hate having to ask Guren for help, I think we may have to call him and ask what to do."

Shinoa sighed and was about to voice her agreement when both girls heard a gruff voice cut in.

"No need. I can manage just fine without that arrogant bastard's help."

Satoshi was about to reprimand the pink-haired boy for his disrespectful comment towards their superior when Kimizuki suddenly, without warning, swung one of his twin swords at him.

Alarmed, Yoichi, Takeshi, and Daisuke quickly jumped back while Satoshi raised his own weapon to meet Kimizuki's just in time to avoid getting injured.

"Oh, no! Did Kimizuki go berserk?" Yoichi cried, bewildered at his squad mate's sudden unprovoked attack on Satoshi as he took aim at Kimizuki in case the pink-haired boy was indeed possessed by his demon.

"No. I'm perfectly awake and sane," the boy in question answered in a calm voice as he locked swords with Satoshi Hiwatari.

The blue-haired squad leader glared at him. "Then what's the big idea with attacking me?!" he demanded harshly.

Kimizuki smirked at Satoshi, finding amusement in the other boy's angry expression.

"Just trying to keep you on your toes, Hiwatari! It might save your life someday."

Catching on to the pink-haired boy's drift, Satoshi's sour mood lightened and he grinned.

"My, what a confident bastard you are, Shiho Kimizuki! However, don't get too cocky just because you just mastered the art of demon possession. Remember, _I_ got it down before you did."

"So shall we see who controls his demon better, then? And who's the better fighter?" the pink-haired boy challenged.

"With pleasure…" Satoshi answered smugly as he took a fighting stance and called for his blond demon contractor.

"Krad, I command you, come forth!"

Intrigued by the prospect of an exciting duel, the other boys put down their weapons, circled around Satoshi and Kimizuki, and watched them go at it while the girls eyed them wearily.

"Do you think we should stop them?" Yuichiro asked.

It was no secret among the two squads that Satoshi Hiwatari disliked calling for his demon unless it was absolutely necessary and certainly not to win a bet of who's the better fighter. Out of everyone in both Shinoa's and Satoshi's squad, the blue-haired boy was probably the one who trusted his demon contractor the least.

But at the end of the day, even Satoshi Hiwatari, despite his brilliant mind and maturity, was still a proud young man who wasn't one to turn down a worthy challenge.

Shinoa smiled and shook her head. "No, I think this is actually a good idea. Since we are short on time, there's no better way for those new to demon possession and manifestation to test the waters then by duking it out with comrades. At least we don't intend to fight each other to the death."

"Interesting… Well, since you put it that way, Shinoa, I guess I can't argue," Yuichiro agreed as she watched Satoshi and Kimizuki engage in a duel with the other boys cheering them on.

As a slightly more experienced demon wielder than Kimizuki, it didn't take Satoshi long to gain the upper hand when he managed to knock one of the other boy's twin swords out of his hand. However, Kimizuki was not to be deterred easily since he was ambidextrous and more than capable of fighting with just one sword and Satoshi quickly realized that the only way to end the fight was to disarm the other boy completely.

" _I'm impressed, Master Satoshi…"_ Krad praised with a snicker. _"You didn't want to call for me when you and your squad were practically outnumbered and cornered by those vampires back in Shinjuku Central Park. Yet when this pink-haired punk challenges your sword-fighting skills and ability to control me, you oblige him without hesitation!"_

" _Ha!"_ Satoshi silently shot back to the demon in his mind. _"Like you've never done the same when Dark challenged you on anything! I'm guessing both of you spent your entire human and vampire lives trying to outdo the other on everything and that's probably what turned you two into demons as well!"_

" _You may be right, Master Satoshi. And I advise you not to do the same if you don't want to end up like us. But I know you won't be able to resist. After all, you're still young and that'll give me plenty of time to break you…"_

" _Never, you bastard!"_

" _We'll see…"_

Ignoring Krad's taunt, Satoshi took full advantage of the enhanced strength his demon granted him and took another swing at his opponent. Seeing the gold lightening surrounding the blue-haired boy's blade, Kimizuki pointed his remaining sword to the sky and called for his own demon.

"Kiseki-O, on the count of nine, open the devil's coffin, I command you…"

The demon's response was instant and everyone watched in awe as a western-style coffin surrounded by bright light manifested above Kimizuki. The lid opened slightly and a pair of demonic gold eyes peaked out from inside the coffin as Kiseki-O began counting in a voice eerie enough to send chills down Satoshi's spine.

 _"One…two…three…four…"_

"Shit, what the hell is THAT?" the blue haired boy demanded as he raised his katana and tried to figure out how he should defend himself from Kimizuki's demon.

But before Satoshi could think of a way to respond, he found himself being pulled towards the coffin by an invisible force and panic overtook him, a rarity considering that he almost always knew what to do in unexpected situations. And though he never admitted to anyone, even himself, Satoshi was actually claustrophobic and the thought of being put into a coffin while still alive terrified him.

Concerned for her squad leader (and love interest), Risa, cut into the fight as she drew one of her fans back and called for her demon contractor.

"Kitana, come forth! I need you!" ***1***

" _Why now of all times, Risa?"_ the female demon answered curiously, her question born more of perplexity than unwillingness to obey her mistress's command. _"It's just a friendly duel, not like those two intend to fight to the death."_

" _I'm sorry, I just don't like how this is turning out so can you please stop that other demon from sucking Satoshi into that creepy coffin?"_ the brunette girl asked a bit impatiently.

After a moment's silence, Kitana sighed but gave in. _"Very well, Risa. I suppose it can't be helped since you_ do _have a thing for your squad leader…"_ ***2***

The brunette girl blushed. _"What? I don't know what you're talking about! I just don't want Sato to get hurt because the squad needs him!"_

The demon chuckled as if she found her mistress's denial amusing. Even after all these centuries and millennia, some things never change.

" _Uh huh, sure, Risa…"_ Kitana teased before manifesting behind Risa as a scantily-clad young woman with raven hair tied in an intricate braided bun and guiding her right hand as she drew it back and threw her fan at Kiseki-O's coffin.

With the assistance of her demon, Risa's aim was true and her war fan flew inside the demonic coffin, striking the glowing eyes within and disrupting Kiseki-O's attempt to suck Satoshi in.

As soon as he was released, the blue-haired boy fell back and landed on his rump, clutching his chest as he tried to catch his breath and register what just happened. Risa wasted no time rushing to his side after Kitana vanished into her subconscious again.

"Are you all right, Sato?" the brunette girl asked in concern.

Satoshi nodded as he looked at Kimizuki with newly garnered respect and admiration after he had made his demon vanish upon securing his semi-victory.

"It looks like I underestimated our friend, Shiho Kimizuki, here. I never expected a demon manifestation like _that."_

"Neither did we," Yuichiro said as everybody gathered around the previously dueling boys and Satoshi's unexpected rescuer. Turning to her squad leader, she asked: "What was that, Shinoa? I thought possession-type demons aren't supposed to have special powers."

"Usually not," the purple-haired girl answered coolly. "But there are some exceptions. I'm sure your Asuramaru has such a power too. Have you found it yet, Yuu?"

Yuichiro shook her head. "I'm not sure; there's still a lot about my cursed gear I don't know about yet. ***3***

"Well, that doesn't surprise me," Mitsuba said. "It took a while for me to learn all of my Tenjiryu's abilities too. Demons also love to hide things from us in case you haven't noticed."

"Oh, I've noticed all right…" Yuu said grimly. "They can also be audacious pranksters as well," the ravenette added as she recalled the steamy illusion Asuramaru gave her that made Yuichiro want to strangle him when she broke free of it.

"Oh, was it something kinky?" Riku teased.

"Riku!" Risa as she lightly jabbed her twin in the ribs, not wanting to give away the fact that they all heard Yuichiro moaning softly in her sleep while wondering what kind of dream she was having. Normally, it was Riku who was the more serious of the two but even she had a bit of a playful and mischievous side.

"N-no… Nothing like that!" The ravenette insisted while blushing furiously.

Not wanting the Harada twins to embarrass Yuichiro further, Shinoa cut in again.

"Ok, ok, that's enough. What matters is that both Yuu and Kimizuki succeeded in mastering their demons without getting killed or seriously hurt and we should be grateful for that."

"No doubt…" Daisuke agreed. "I had no idea possession-type demons can have special abilities. Or at least some of them. So Dark may surprise me again just yet which I have to admit is _not_ something I'm eager to find out anytime soon."

Yoichi laughed softly. "Don't we all dread getting unseemly surprises from them?"

"I concur…" Takeshi agreed. "I'm lucky Miss Menou has been really nice with me so far, but I try not to be overly bossy to her lest she plague me with nightmares while I sleep."

While the group laughed and took the time to bond with their shared anxiety of their demons' unknown powers that they've yet to discover, Mitsuba moved closer to Shinoa and lowered her voice to a whisper before asking:

"Hey, Shinoa, did you know Kimizuki's demon had a power like _that?"_

The purple-haired girl shook her head. "Honestly, I didn't, Mi-chan," she confessed. "I do know that the highest-ranked demon weapons may have unusual abilities, but they can vary greatly. Not all of them are solely for attacking the enemy directly. I'm guessing Kiseki-O's specialty with that coffin is geared towards confinement which _is_ useful if it's necessary to take an enemy alive."

"I'll say…" the blonde girl agreed. "Do you think Yuu's demon has an ability like that too?"

"It's likely but I think it'll be a while before we find out. If there's one thing I've noticed is that Miss Hyakuya appears to have the most unusual relationship with her demon out of us all."

"Oh, how so?"

Shinoa shook her head. "I'm not sure I know how to explain; I just get the feeling it's not the typical human and demon contractor relationship."

"I can see that," Mitsuba agreed. "The way she was singing and moaning in her sleep has me thinking she was living a romance novel."

"Or a musical," Shinoa replied with a touch of humor.

"Which has me thinking, who exactly _is_ Yuichiro Hyakuya? And why _did_ the lieutenant colonel take her in? He doesn't strike me as the fatherly type."

"You're right, he isn't. At least, that's not the impression I ever got of him in all the years we knew each other. But my sister used to tell me that some people have a side to them they never show to anyone except a person they hold dear to their heart."

"What?" Mitsuba asked, startled by her squad leader's insightfulness. "Do you imply that Guren and Yuu..?"

Before the blonde girl could say the words they both knew was on her mind, Shinoa made a gesture to silence her.

"Shh, Mi-chan. We don't know that so let's not make any hasty assumptions. And even if their relationship _is_ what it appears, it's not our business anyway."

"Hmm… I suppose you're right. Especially since Yuu is also determined to get her orphanage brother back. I get the feeling it's not going to be pretty, should that boy and the lieutenant colonel ever cross paths and swords again," Mitsuba said, her brow furrowing in concern for her raven-haired squad mate.

Shinoa smiled as she gently patted the blond girl on the back and tried her best to make Mitsuba feel at ease. "You worry too much, Mi-chan, it's not like you. And Miss Hyakuya is a big girl; she can take care of herself."

"Hmm… well, I hope you're right, Shinoa. If only for her sake."

Although Shinoa's smile did not leave her face, the purple-haired girl secretly had to admit that she shared her blond friend's sentiment.

 _I hope so too..._ she thought.

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. In the fighting game series, Mortal Kombat, Kitana is a popular character who is the princess of a realm called Edenia. She made her first debut in Mortal Kombat II and every game in the franchise after. In my AU, Kitana is the demon contractor of Risa Harada and bound to her war fans; she manifests as a young woman in a dark-blue leotard and wears her long black hair in a braided bun. I was thinking of Kitana's outfit from the later MK series when I made her Risa's demon.**

 **2\. In the anime, DN Angel, Risa Harada is hinted to have taken a romantic interest in Satoshi Hiwatari after Daisuke and Riku confess their love at the end of the series. Satoshi's and Risa's implied romantic interest in each other has been the topic of many DN Angel sequel fanfiction stories. This is anime-only, however. In the manga version of DN Angel, Risa is interested only in Phantom Dark.**

 **3\. In canon, male!Yuu reveals and uses Asura-cannon against Kimizuki after he regains consciousness and tries to attack him but I've decided to have fem!Yuu not know of Asuramaru's hidden ability for now. At present, I've yet to decide when I want to have fem!Yuu use Asura-cannon but I'm working on it.**


	9. A Son's Plea

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate version of the Nagoya arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta reader, ResidentialPsycho, for her help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!**

 **Chapter 9: A Son's Plea**

 **November 11, 2020**

 **Sanguinem Imperial Palace, Progenitor Council Meeting**

"Is it really necessary for me to be here, Ferid?" Mika asked in a tone that bordered on impatience and rudeness as he followed the silver-haired vampire lord down the halls of Sanguinem Imperial Palace heading towards a meeting room.

Instead of being offended, Ferid turned around and merely smiled cheerfully at the younger vampire when they finally reached the door.

"Why, Mika, dear! Most of our kind would consider it a great honor to come before the great progenitors! And since you _are_ the adopted son of our queen, it's only fitting that you be present. That _is_ a prince's duty, after all."

Mika scoffed. "I don't care about titles, honor, or power. I only agreed to be turned into this… this _thing_ so that I can live on and search for Yuu-chan. But then again, you'd know all about that, wouldn't you, _my lord?"_

As usual, Ferid simply brushed off Mika's accusations. "Now, now, Mika, that was all in the past. Let bygones be bygones and get on with our lives, shall we? Being angry about the past isn't going to change anything and we both know it."

The blond vampire glared at his ex-benefactor but he knew Ferid was right. He also knew that if the progenitors have indeed called for him, it would not be wise to refuse them.

"Fine! Let's just get this over with!" Mika snarled as he tried to ignore the ache in his throat.

Asides from performing his duties as a so-called vampire prince as well as a soldier of the vampire army, Mika also needed to see Krul as soon as possible to sate his thirst and hoped the progenitor council meeting would not take too long.

Delighted that he had the younger vampire's cooperation, Ferid turned back towards the door to the meeting room and opened it before Mika could change his mind. Without saying another word, the silver-haired vampire lord made a gesture for him to follow.

As soon as they were inside, Mika forgot his displeasure at Ferid for dragging him to a meeting he wanted no part of and looked around the room in curiosity. For the most part, the room was spacious and empty except for the projection screens that lined the walls with the visages of the world's most powerful vampires looking through them at the vampire queen of Japan who sat on an elegant throne-like chair in the middle.

When Krul saw Ferid, she scowled but her expression soon changed to surprise when she noticed that Mikaela was standing right behind him. The blond vampire also noticed and quickly realized that Ferid had lied to him yet again and that he wasn't actually supposed to be here. But it was too late and Mika could not leave without rousing even more suspicion from the progenitors so he remained silent and allowed Ferid to do the talking.

"My apologies, I hope I did not keep my lords and ladies waiting too long," the silver-haired vampire lord said as he made a polite bow before the higher-ranking progenitors.

"Enough with the formalities, Ferid Bathory!" one of the other vampire lords said impatiently. "We demand a report on what happened in Shinjuku!"

Ferid threw his hands up in the air as if the gesture would appease his betters.

"But of course, my lord!" he said in his usual cheerful manner that made both Mika and Krul resist the urge to roll their eyes before he finally got serious. "Though I have already handed in a written report that recounts most of the details, I shall be happy to provide a brief summary of the Battle of Shinjuku again in case my lords and ladies did not get a chance to look at it."

For a moment, everyone was silent. Although Krul, Ferid, and Mika were the only ones who were actually in the meeting room, the advanced projection screens the other progenitors were looking through made it feel as if they were actually all there in person.

"Go on, Lord Bathory…"

Ferid cleared this throat before continuing. "To keep it simple, the humans are gaining power at an astronomical rate; they are driven by greed, ambition, and lust for power so they have once again delved into the forbidden."

"Is that so? Even after what happened eight years ago, they still haven't learned their lesson?"

"Should that come as a surprise?" Ferid asked as Mika and Krul listened in silence. "You all know as well as I do that humans have been repeating the same mistakes over and over since the dawn of time. I know that is of no concern to any of you but what we _should_ be concerned about is that this time, their actions can pose a serious threat to vampire kind. Observe!"

Reaching into his pocket, Ferid took out a small projection device and proceeded to play a holographic video in the center of the room. Mika shuddered and did his best to resist closing his eyes and turning away when he saw a replay of Yuichiro's horrific transformation and deadly rampage on the battlefield of Shinjuku. Even the progenitors, who were normally not easily impressed, were shocked and started demanding answers.

"What _is_ that thing?" they demanded. "Ferid is right; this _could_ be a threat to us!"

Pleased that his higher-ups were finally acknowledging his importance, Ferid clapped his hands to catch their attention.

"So there you have it, my lords and ladies! It's as clear as day that the humans have finally managed to weaponize the Seraph of the End or at the very least, come close to it!"

"But how can that be?" another progenitor demanded. "Third Progenitor Krul Tepes foiled that plan when she destroyed the Hyakuya Sect in Japan eight years ago!"

Krul, who had been silent the entire time as she tried not to glare at Ferid, finally spoke up with her usual coolness and poise.

"That is correct. Eight years ago, I eliminated the Hyakuya Sect and killed every child bearing the seraph genes with my own hands. Not one escaped."

Upon hearing Krul's revelation, Mika's eyes widened as he did his best to keep a gasp from escaping his lips when he realized that not only was he not supposed to be at this meeting, he wasn't even supposed to be alive at all.

Ferid grinned when he caught the younger vampire's expression even though Krul remained calm as if she thought nothing of lying to the rest of the progenitor council about the true fate of the Hyakuya children, namely, Mikaela and Yuichiro.

"Oh, is that so? Queen Krul was supposed to do that? Why, I had no idea! So did you _really_ kill all of them, my queen?"

Krul's expression hardened as she casually rested her cheek in her hand. "That's what I said, didn't I?"

"If that is so, then how has the humans' research come this far?" Urd Geales, second progenitor and current leader of the vampires, demanded. "Asides from the Hyakuya Sect, no other organization within or outside of Japan has made any significant progress."

"Yes, that is true but humans can be _very_ determined and deceptive. It's possible that they could have hidden their progress from us. In fact, wasn't there another organization of spell-casters in Europe who were also experimenting with the Seraph?" Ferid asked in feigned curiosity.

"They are gone. I destroyed them myself," said another progenitor with a child-like appearance, before setting his eyes on Krul. "But I must confess that I have doubts about Queen Krul."

"And just what do you imply, Lest Karr?" the vampire queen asked in a sweet voice, her eyes glittering dangerously.

Like Krul herself, Lest Karr had the stature and appearance of a young teen, having been turned when he was only fourteen years old. And like the pink-haired vampire queen, he held the rank of a third progenitor and ruled over Western Europe, including his native Germany.

Ignoring Krul's not-so-subtle warning not to pry into her affairs further, Lest continued.

"What I imply is that if you have mishandled your management of Japan, I may have to step in and take over since any failure on your part can carry grave consequences for all vampire kind."

Krul gritted her teeth as she finally stood up and glared at the other progenitor through the projection screen for his audacity.

"Watch your tongue, Lest! I will not be lectured on my duties by a mere child!" she snapped as she pointed a shaking finger at him.

Instead of being offended, Lest merely chuckled as if he found Krul's threat more amusing than intimidating.

"What do you mean, 'child', Krul? We're only two hundred years apart. Besides, when it comes to power and leadership abilities, I believe _I_ am the stronger and more competent one."

Before Krul could make a nasty retort and rile the rest of the progenitors, Urd finally cut in.

"Cease this, both of you. As for you, Queen Krul, if you say you completely destroyed the Hyakuya Sect, can we trust that you did so without fail?"

Forgetting Lest for the moment, Krul looked Urd in the eyes and said: "I do not fail. Ever."

For a moment, a silence fell over the council as if they weren't sure whether or not to believe her before Urd finally sighed and spoke again.

"Very well, Krul. We will trust your word. As for the humans, how do you propose we deal with them?"

Resisting the urge to shoot Lest a smug look of victory, Krul answered. "Our objective has not changed; we will deploy our full army to smite every human who stands under the banner of the Japanese Imperial Demon Army."

"Excellent. That will suffice so begin at once. We trust that you will emerge victorious, Queen Krul" Urd said before he finally spotted Mika out of the corner of his eye and his brows rose. Turning to Ferid, he asked:

"By the way, Ferid, who is that young man behind you?"

"Oh, him, my lord?" Ferid asked innocently with a playful expression as he turned back to look at Mika but not before taking a moment to enjoy the bead of sweat that was forming on Krul's forehead. "Why, he's my most favorite servant, and I can't _bear_ to have him leave my side even for a moment!"

Another third progenitor, Nix Parthe, glared at the silver-haired vampire lord for his careless words. ***1***

"Have you lost your mind, Bathory?!" he demanded harshly. "This is the Progenitor Council and even _you_ are normally not permitted to attend, let alone a servant!"

Urd sighed and placed a hand over his head as if trying to ease a headache. This was supposed to be a council of the world's most powerful vampires yet he felt as if it were a classroom of unruly children he had to discipline.

"Silence, Nix. Ferid's flights of eccentricity are _not_ new and in case you haven't noticed, we do have more pressing concerns at the moment" he said sharply before turning back to Krul.

"I wish you luck, Queen Krul. Please don't disappoint us. That will be all; I hereby conclude the session of this council."

It took all of Krul's willpower to wait until the last of the progenitors' visages vanished from sight upon the conclusion of the meeting before she turned on Ferid in a fit of rage and made a swiping gesture with her arm, the motion causing a gust of wind powerful enough to shake the foundations of the room and send pieces of the tile floor flying everywhere.

"Careful, my queen, you could really hurt someone doing that!" Ferid cried out in mock fear as he hid behind Mikaela.

"Don't fuck with me, you bastard!" she screamed. "What the hell were you thinking, bringing Mikaela here?! I swear, conspire against me and I tear you into so many pieces even the vultures won't find you!"

"Oooh, scary! But you really can't do that, now, can you, my queen? If I die or suddenly disappear, the other progenitors will wonder why. And think of what secrets can reach the council upon my death. You will undoubtedly be the first one they suspect, Queen Krul. I can only imagine what they'll say. 'Who would have thought that Krul Tepes was personally involved in the Seraph of the End?'"

Krul gritted her teeth and if she didn't know that the disgusting silver-haired vampire lord was absolutely right, she would have made good on her threat and killed him where he stood.

"Aww, come on now. Don't look at me like that," Ferid cooed. "After all, it _was_ my fault that little Yuu escaped and that you had to turn Mika to save him. If the other progenitors ever find out about that, I'll be just as susceptible to punishment as you, and I certainly don't want that to happen!"

The pink-haired vampire queen narrowed her eyes at him as she forced herself to calm down.

"What're you playing at, Bathory? What's your end in all this and what're you _really_ after?" she demanded.

"Well isn't it obvious?" Ferid asked playfully as he finally stepped out from behind Mika. "I just want to be friends. After all, you are I are now partners in crime. We share the same secrets, after all."

"You bastard…"

"Come now, that's no way to talk to your new best friend, my queen. In any case, I think I'd best be going now but please consider my words. And remember, I do love you!"

With a final pat on Mika's shoulder, Ferid Bathory turned and left the room. When the silver-haired vampire lord finally left, Mika released the breath he was holding and his knees buckled as if he no longer had any energy to stand.

Forgetting her displeasure towards Ferid, Krul's expression changed to one of concern as she quickly moved to catch the younger vampire before he collapsed.

"Mika, are you all right?" she asked gently.

But instead of answering her, Mika suddenly looked at Krul with a rabid expression on his face, grabbed her, and bit her in the neck. The sudden movement startled the queen at first. But when she realized how starved the blond was, she relaxed and did not resist, allowing her fledgling to take what he needed.

"I'm sorry, did I keep you waiting too long to be fed? It's all right; take as much as you need…" the queen cooed and took Mika into a motherly embrace after he had finished feeding.

When the young blond finally realized what he had just done, he quickly released Krul and suddenly pushed her away.

"I..I'm sorry, Your Majesty!" he apologized, fully expecting his dame to berate him for his insolence, especially after her spat with Ferid. But to his surprise, Krul merely smiled and said:

"It's all right, I understand. It's not just you; we _all_ get a little ravenous when we haven't had enough blood. Even progenitors are no exception."

Relieved that Krul was not angry at him, Mika sighed in relief. "I see…thank you for understanding. If it's not too much to ask, can I have a little more blood to store than usual?"

"Of course, Mika, I can give you as much as you need. Or want."

"Thank you, Krul. You have my gratitude…what's wrong?" the blond asked as soon as he noticed her smile turned into a worried frown.

Instead of answering right away, Krul slowly approached Mika and gently took his face in both of her tiny hands.

"You are feeling it, aren't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"My blood… Its losing its effectiveness in sating your thirst, isn't it?"

Mika was startled at Krul's claim and tried to deny it. "No, of course not! I'm just getting thirstier from exerting so much energy into my duties while trying to keep Ferid off my back at the same time, that's all!"

"Mika, please don't lie to me," Krul scolded like a disappointed mother catching her child in a lie. "Remember, I've lived as a vampire much longer than you have and can tell that you will have to drink from a human and soon. If you don't, you will become a mindless demon. I believe I already told you this a long time ago."

Mika sighed and nodded as he recalled the time he finally had to give in to his thirst and drink from Krul shortly after he had been turned because he could no longer eat or drink like a human.

"Yes, I remember. I'm sorry. But that is not what concerns me now. I must know if what Ferid and the other progenitors say is true: Were you supposed to eliminate the entire Hyakuya Sect _and_ their test subjects, including me and Yuu-chan? If so, then why did you spare and hide us? Why would you put yourself at risk for doing so? What's in it for _you?"_

Krul was silent for a moment as if thinking about how she should answer him before saying:

"That… is something you do not need to know. In fact, it would better for you if you didn't."

Mika gritted his teeth. Despite the fact that Krul implied that she was protecting him by withholding the knowledge he sought, the blond grew angry but forced himself to remain calm. After all, the pink-haired vampire queen was his dame as well as a high-ranking progenitor; he knew he could make her do or reveal nothing against her will and that it would be unwise for him to even try.

And so, the best Mikaela could do was politely request the information he desired. After taking a moment to think about it, the blond took a deep breath and tried again, hoping his words would make Krul reconsider her decision.

"Queen Krul…mother… when you offered to save my life by making me a vampire, I knew you weren't really giving me a choice and that you would have turned me no matter what I said. Even so, I still served you loyally these last four years and never once have I disobeyed your orders or questioned your decisions until now. Is it too much to ask that you grant me this one answer, this one favor, in return?" ***2***

Upon hearing Mika's plea, Krul's expression softened.

"That is the first time I've ever heard you call me 'mother,' Mikaela. Very well, then. If it's that important to you, I will tell you why I spared you as well as Yuichiro and the other Hyakuya orphans." After taking a quick glance around to make sure they were truly alone in the room, the vampire queen walked over to Mika and whispered her secret in his ear.

The blond almost stumbled over. "Are you serious?" he exclaimed.

The queen nodded as she gently took Mika's face in her hand, her thumb gently brushing over his lips.

"Next month, we're attacking the humans again, and we won't be holding back; they are too dangerous a threat to take lightly, especially with Yuichiro in their hands. If abused, her powers will cause a disaster the likes of which the world has never seen and it will be far worse than the epidemic of eight years ago. To prevent that, I'm giving you a secret mission: you will conveniently become 'missing in action' when the attack begins. Use this opportunity to find Yuichiro and bring her to me. I will take care of the rest."

Mika swallowed nervously. Although the blond did not relish the idea of bringing Yuu back to the city where she nearly got killed trying to escape years ago, he knew he had to comply or at least pretend to comply with his queen's order because this was likely the last chance he was ever going to get to find his orphanage sister.

And as much as he hated to admit it, Yuichiro was probably better off with him and Krul than the humans anyway; she couldn't stay with the JIDA any more than she could be allowed to fall into the hands of the other vampire progenitors.

"Yes, mother. As you command."

Krul smiled as she leaned over and gently placed a kiss on Mika's forehead. As her adopted son and favorite warrior, Mikaela Hyakuya was her pride and joy. And to protect his identity as a seraph, Krul had forbidden the other vampires in Sanguinem from drinking Mika's blood on the pain of death.

"I love you like you were my own son, Mikaela. I understand why you want to save Yuichiro so badly but I must warn you that with things the way they are now, your love for her will only bring you pain. I won't lie to you: children who bear the seraph gene are destined to live tragic lives. Many will die tragic deaths as well. And that's _if_ they're lucky. The unlucky ones, if their genes permanently activate, become angelic monstrosities that live on forever." ***3***

Mika gasped at this horrifying revelation. "Is that Yuu-chan's fate? Is there any way to prevent it?"

"There are only two ways to save her from that fate: kill her or turn her. One or the other."

"Is there no other way?"

"Not that I know of. I'm sorry, Mika. Now that you know this, do you still want to go to her?"

The blond was silent for a moment. Every word Krul said was likely true but even so, Mika knew the answer he must give.

"Yes."

Krul smiled sadly. "I knew you would say that. And to be honest, I do not blame you, Mika. Your Yuu-chan has become a fine swordmaiden and a very lovely girl. Just as I always thought she would."

Mika was startled at Krul's confession. "What? Did you know all this time that Yuu-chan was a girl?" he asked incredulously.

Krul chuckled. "Of course, I did, Mika! I make it my business to know these things! And besides, did you think the vampire doctor I assigned to your little family's care all those years ago would not tell me the truth about her?"

"I see," Mika said as he tried to hide his embarrassment about the fact that his adoptive mother knew the reasoning behind his obsession with finding Yuichiro all along. "But even so, I must find Yuu-chan and save her no matter what," he said with renewed determination.

"I know, Mika. I know. Do what you must. But remember what I said."

"I will."

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. Nix Parthe, the other third progenitor besides Krul and Lest, was originally named "Gabel" in the fan translation of the manga but when the official translation was released, his name was changed to "Nix".**

 **2\. In canon, Mika tries to attack Krul out of anger for keeping her true intentions a secret from him but in my AU, I've made him a bit more rational in trying to get her to talk so that their conversation about fem!Yuu will flow more smoothly.**

 **3\. Although not explicitly stated, it is implied that children who bear the Seraph gene live tragic lives and die tragic deaths since all of the Hyakuya children, including Yuu and Mika have had rough starts in life. In the canon manga, male!Yuu is on the verge of losing his humanity to the seraph due to his genes.**


	10. Between Loyalty and Deception

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate version of the Nagoya arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta reader, ResidentialPsycho, for her help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!**

 **Chapter 10: Between Loyalty and Deception**

 **November 12, 2020**

Yuichiro slowly opened her eyes when she felt the gentle rays of the sun upon her face through a slightly parted curtain in her dorm room. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was about six-fifty in the morning, about ten minutes from the time her alarm was supposed to go off, and sighed in slight disappointment as she placed an arm over her forehead.

Yuichiro just hated it whenever she found herself waking up just minutes before her alarm sounded because it was a few more minutes of sleep she could have had. But she supposed it couldn't be helped. So after releasing a yawn and briefly stretching her arms above her head, the ravenette finally sat up and found her sheathed sword at the foot of her bed as always.

Unlike Shinoa, Mitsuba, and Yoichi, Yuichiro could not make her weapon appear and disappear on a whim due to its strength and nature, so she made it a habit to keep Asuramaru at her side as much as possible, even in the safety of her own dorm. Before going to sleep at night, Yuichiro always locked her dorm and kept her demon sword at the foot of her bed to ensure that nobody would sneak in and steal it while she slept. Even though Shinoa assured her that such a thing was unlikely since demons do not respond well to anyone but their contractors. ***1***

Even so, the ravenette was still possessive of her prized weapon, the one she had risked her life to win so that she would have a fighting chance against the vampires.

And to find Mikaela.

But while Asuramaru may have been her demonic partner on her complex journey, Yuichiro had to admit that the little bastard was also the bane of her existence. While he had made good on his promise not to give Yuichiro any more dreams of Guren, Asuramaru continued to tease her with dreams of other men like Shinya and Mika and feigned innocence when she broke free of his illusions and railed at him; his latest prank being a more provocative dream version of her memory with Shinya teaching her how to swim when she was fourteen. ***2***

Considering how embarrassed Yuichiro felt every time she woke up from her "wet dreams," she often wondered if having Asuramaru give her nightmares like the ones other demons tormented their human contractors with to break was preferable. But the ravenette knew there were more important matters at hand so, shoving the thought to the back of her mind, Yuichiro finally got out of bed to shower and get dressed for the day.

As she stood in front of her mirror putting on make-up, Yuichiro remembered Shinoa mentioning the day before that she wanted the squad to meet up at her dorm along with Satoshi's squad instead of the mess hall to discuss a matter of great importance, something that should not be heard by others.

At the time, the ravenette did not think much of her squad leader's request but now that the time to meet was drawing near, Yuichiro could not help wondering what was so important that Shinoa would insist both squads meet at her dorm to discuss it. The fact that the purple-haired girl offered to make breakfast for everyone as well made Yuichiro a bit leery since she knew Shinoa was used to having servants cater to her every need and whim as a daughter of the esteemed Hiragi family; she didn't even think her squad leader was capable of cooking.

 _Well, I guess I'll soon find out…_ Yuichiro thought as she sweat-dropped slightly. ***3***

Although the food in the JIDA mess hall was nothing spectacular, at least they were edible and acceptable. But Yuichiro had serious doubts about Shinoa's cooking since the most she's ever seen her squad leader do in regards to food preparation was heating up canned food in a microwave or next to a camp fire.

If possible, Yuichiro would have declined Shinoa's proposal. But the ravenette knew she couldn't avoid an important meeting such as this so trying not to think about the breakfast itself, she picked up the pace and finally left her dorm after grabbing Asuramaru and making sure her hair was securely tied back in her trade-mark pony-tail.

 _Here goes nothing!_ she thought.

 **SSSSSS**

"Morning, Yuu. Did you sleep well?" Yoichi asked politely when he saw Yuichiro enter the hallway where Shinoa's dorm was located.

Trying not to think about Asuramaru's latest prank on her with an illusion of Shinya, Yuichiro smiled politely and answered:

"I slept well, thank you. How about yourself?"

"Not bad," the brunette boy confessed. "Could have been better, but oh well, we can't expect to sleep like babies with demons bound to our minds and bodies."

"You'd think?" a gruff voice spoke up.

Turning, Yuichiro and Yoichi saw Kimizuki approaching. Like themselves, the pink-haired boy was in full uniform with his sheathed demon twin swords at his belt.

The ravenette found a smile tugging at her lips as she took in the sight of Kimizuki putting a hand over his mouth as he released a yawn. For some reason, she found her pink-haired squad mate's expression cute.

"Well, you should have known this when you signed up for the Demon Army, Kimizuki," she teased.

"I'm sure he did. We all did," another voice cut in smoothly as if he expected such a complaint from the pink-haired boy.

Looking over Kimizuki's shoulder, Yuichiro and Yoichi saw Satoshi approach while flanked by Daisuke and Takeshi. The Harada twins were nowhere to be seen.

"Good to see you, Sato," Yuichiro greeted. "I'm guessing you and your squad are here to join us for breakfast?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Great. But where's Risa and Riku? Aren't they supposed to be here as well?"

"Well, when we knocked on their dorms earlier, nobody answered, so we assume they already left for Shinoa's," Daisuke confessed.

"I'm pretty sure they did," Takeshi added as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Maybe they're helping her make breakfast?"

" _Please_ don't remind me why we're here," Kimizuki said as he turned around and shot the other brunette boy a look of annoyance. Like Yuichiro, he was leery of Shinoa's cooking but knew he could not disobey a direct order from his squad leader.

Yoichi laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Aw, come on, at least she was nice enough to cook for us. How bad can it be?"

"Do I really have to answer that?" Kimizuki shot back.

Not wanting the boys to waste more time, Yuichiro said: "Never mind that. If her cooking really _is_ that bad, you can just say you're not that hungry and drink milk or orange juice instead."

"That's a good idea, Yuu. Though it may look suspicious if _all_ of us refused to eat, only drink," Satoshi said with a touch of dry humor.

To that, Yuichiro merely shrugged her shoulders and brushed off the blue-haired squad leader's comment.

"Never mind that. Let's get going before we're all late. We can always get some food from the mess hall if things don't work out."

With the ravenette offering them a string of hope, the boys finally relented and followed her to Shinoa's dorm. When they were a few doors away, everyone heard some female screams coming from the inside.

"Damn, what's going on?!" Yuu demanded as her hands flew to the hilt of her sword.

Fearing the worst, she broke into a run and would have kicked down Shinoa's door if it wasn't already unlocked and slightly opened because the purple-haired girl was expecting her squad as well as Satoshi's to show up for breakfast.

"Shinoa, what's wrong?!" Yuichiro cried as she barged into the dorm with her sword drawn and noticed that nothing was out of the ordinary except for a cloud of smoke coming from the kitchen.

Fearing that her squad leader might have set the kitchen on fire, Yuichiro rushed in to find not only Shinoa, but also the Harada twins panicking over what appeared to be an omelet that was on fire in the pan Mitsuba was holding.

"Shit, Mitsu, I can't believe you could screw up something so simple as making an omelet!" Yuichiro scolded as she sheathed her sword.

If heat from the little fireball in the pan she was holding wasn't so nerve-wracking and hot to the touch, the blonde girl would have made a snarky retort to her squad mate's comment.

"Mitsuba, _do_ something!" Risa shrieked as she used her arms to shield her eyes from the frightening sight.

"Hold on, I'll get a fire extinguisher!" Riku offered before turning to Shinoa. "You _do_ have one, don't you?"

The purple-haired girl shook her head. "Actually, I don't!" she confessed in a panicked voice which surprised Yuichiro since her squad leader was normally very good at keeping her cool in battle and other stressful situations.

Sighing in slight frustration, Yuichiro snatched the frying pan out of Mitsuba's hand and turned on the kitchen sink before placing it under the running water to put out the burning omelet. Once the fire was completely extinguished, the other girls looked over her shoulder to find that the egg dish Mitsuba had intended to make was burnt to an inedible crisp.

"Wow, is that supposed to be for us?" Yoichi asked nervously as he entered the kitchen with Kimizuki and the other boys from Satoshi's squad.

"It was but not anymore," Yuichiro answered without turning around.

Looking at Shinoa, Mitsuba, and the Harada twins before shifting his eyes to Yuichiro holding the frying pan under the running sink faucet, it didn't take Kimizuki long to figure out what happened.

"Are you serious?" the pink-haired boy asked incredulously. "How can you girls fuck up something so simple as making an edible breakfast?"

Before Shinoa can answer, Yuichiro said: "Nevermind that, Kimizuki. Can you please assist me by cutting some bread while I start over with the eggs?"

"Sure, Yuu," he answered. Turning to the others, Kimizuki said: "The rest of you can help by setting up the table and pouring the drinks."

Less than ten minutes later, both squads were seated in Shinoa's living room with the food and drinks placed on the long wooden table in the middle because her dinner table was too small to accommodate everyone.

And this time, they actually had food they could eat, thanks to Yuichiro and Kimizuki's cooking; their version of breakfast consisted of toast, bacon, and scrambled eggs with milk, cocoa, and orange juice for drinks; a typical western breakfast.

"Wow, this is pretty good!" Yoichi praised Yuichiro as he took a bite out of the toast on his plate after spreading some butter on it. "I had no idea you and Kimizuki could cook so well!"

Yuu snorted. "Anyone with half a brain can cook a decent meal," she said while ignoring the glare Mitsuba was giving her.

Satoshi, Daisuke, and Takeshi struggled to contain their laughter at her comment out of pity for the other girls but their expressions quickly gave them away.

"Now, now, Yuu, I'm sure the girls just had an off day, right? They can cook for us some other time," Yoichi chided.

"Maybe," Kimizuki said as he looked at Shinoa and Mitsuba. "Just make sure you girls keep a fire extinguisher nearby, ok?"

"Why the nerve!" Risa scoffed. "Was that really necessary, Kimizuki?" she demanded.

"Yeah, there's no need to be a jerk about it," Riku added. "At least Mitsuba _tried_ to make you something and Shinoa was nice enough to invite all of us to her own dorm for breakfast."

Yuichiro was silent as she took in her squad leader's spacious living room with her curious eyes while chewing on some bacon. Unlike that of other Demon Army soldiers, Shinoa's dorm was more like an apartment with its own kitchen and living room, a luxury by the standards of the military.

 _Probably a perk with being a squad leader as well as a Hiragi_ , the ravenette thought before she finally asked the question that had been on her mind since she woke up.

"Shinoa, why have you called us all here? You didn't invite us here just to eat since we could have gone to the mess hall for that. Plus it would have saved you the trouble of getting up earlier to cook."

Setting down her cup of cocoa, the purple-haired girl smiled at her squad mate before answering.

"You're right, I didn't. There is something important I must discuss with everyone here, especially you, Miss Hyakuya," she confessed.

"And that is?"

"Well, before I begin, you might want to put down that bacon you're eating now; I don't want to see you choke," the purple-haired girl teased before becoming serious again.

Yuichiro raised a brow at her squad leader's suggestion but did as Shinoa asked.

"Ok, so what is it? Does it have something to do with what happened when I passed out in Shinjuku? Because try as I might, I cannot recall anything that happened from the time I fainted on the field until I woke up in the hospital. But I'm sure _you_ do."

At Yuichiro's answer, everyone at the breakfast table fell silent. Although she had made no mention of it since she woke up, the ravenette had indeed suspected that everyone had been keeping something from her. But nobody said a word and allowed the purple-haired girl to do all the talking, even Satoshi, since Yuichiro was Shinoa's subordinate and not his.

After taking a moment to clear her throat, Shinoa started talking. "Yes. there are actually _two_ things I wish to discuss, not just with Yuu, but with everyone present here."

"Oh, do tell, Miss Hiragi," Satoshi said as took a sip of his orange juice.

"One, I have reason to believe that Miss Hyakuya may have been the subject of some kind of experiment which caused her to lose control on the battlefield where she attacked Takeshi and nearly killed Yoichi."

If Yuichiro had not stopped chewing on her bacon, she might have indeed choked on it as soon as she heard Shinoa's confession.

"What? Are you serious, Shinoa?" the ravenette demanded and turned to the boys in question as if looking for confirmation to what her squad leader just said.

And instead of giving her a straight answer, both Takeshi and Yoichi turned their heads away nervously, refusing to look Yuichiro in the eye. That in itself was an answer.

"Yes, I'm serious," Shinoa continued. "But that's not the only issue we're dealing with here. The second one is whether or not we can trust your guardian, the lieutenant colonel."

Yuichiro frowned but did not jump in to defend Guren on the spot because she knew what her squad leader claimed had merit. ***4***

Especially since the man himself admitted that he saved her to serve his purpose, whatever that may be.

"So what do you think is up with Guren?" Yuu asked slowly. "He never told me directly but what is he _really_ after?"

Mitsuba sighed and folded her hands on the table before voicing her opinion. "My guess is that the lieutenant colonel is involved in some kind of conflict with the higher-ups."

"Either that or he has an even bigger plan in the works," Satoshi opined.

"So what does any of that have to do with Miss Hyakuya?" Daisuke asked in confusion.

"Well isn't it obvious? It means that Yuu has something that her guardian needs to achieve his goals," Riku answered as she stuffed a piece of scrambled egg into her mouth.

"You mean like the power she displayed back in Shinjuku?" Risa asked with a shudder. "I get the feeling that the lieutenant colonel knows more about it than he's letting on."

Shinoa nodded. "Likely, yes. The question we should be concerned with now is that should we keep following Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose or go our own way? What do you think, Yuu?"

Yuichiro was startled. "Are you asking for _my_ opinion, Shinoa. You're the squad leader; it's _your_ job to make these decisions, and I must follow them regardless of my personal feelings."

"Normally yes, Yuu. But since this involves a power you have that could end up affecting hundreds, if not thousands of people, I need to know where you stand on it: do you think we can trust your guardian or not? Should we pledge our loyalty to _him_ or continue to serve the interests of the Demon Army as we have until now?"

Yuichiro was silent for a moment as she looked down at her breakfast plate and tried to avoid the gazes of both squads upon her. While everyone awaited her answer, Yuichiro's mind wandered back to the night she escaped Sanguinem and met Guren for the first time after barely escaping the vampire city with her life.

Back then, it never crossed Yuichiro's mind what motivation the older man had for saving her; she was just so grateful and relieved that someone, anyone, had been there for her in her time of need that she almost literally ran into his arms. And as the years went by, Yuichiro came to like and eventually trust Guren; he might have been a bit stern and strict with her at times, but was always there for her when she needed him.

And even now, Yuichiro still needed her guardian. Without Guren's influence, she would've never been accepted into the Moon Demon Company considering how sparse the information on her records were. Despite what he confessed after Yuichiro's "interview" with Kureto, she still felt a sense of loyalty to Guren for saving her life and raising her. And now that Yuichiro knew for certain that Mikaela still lived, she would also need her guardian's help to find him as well.

"I want to go with Guren," Yuichiro answered slowly, "Because, despite everything, I still owe him my life and need his help to find my brother. Don't get me wrong, you are all important to me like family as well, but I still can't forget Mika."

Shinoa smiled as if she were expecting such an answer from the other girl.

"I'd thought you said that, Miss Hyakuya. Even though you know he's not always been honest with you, you're still willing to take your chances trust Guren? Even if he ends up betraying you?"

Before Yuichiro could answer, Kimizuki cut in. _"Trust_ is a bit of a strong word in regards to the lieutenant colonel," he said dryly before turning to the girl in question. "I think that what you actually mean is that you're willing to _overlook_ his deception so long as you think following him can lead you to Mikaela, is that right?"

Yuichiro nodded. "That's one way of putting it, yes. And I suppose you're going to tell me I'm crazy and advise against it, Kimizuki?"

The pink-haired boy pushed his glasses up his nose before answering.

"Under normal circumstances, yes, I would. In fact, I would say it's the most stupid thing you could do but honestly, if it were me and my sister, I'd do the same."

Shinoa clapped her hands to regain everyone's attention. "Then it's settled; we'll trust Miss Hyakuya's judgment and stick with Guren."

"Hold it, Shinoa!" Yuu protested. "I said that _I_ would follow Guren to find Mika but I never said I expected _all_ of you to do so as well. If you don't trust him, it's better that you remain loyal to the Demon Army. I don't want anyone else here other than myself to be charged with treason should something go wrong and we get exposed along with Guren."

Yoichi shook his head. "Yuu… You just said that you think of us as family and shouldn't family always stick together no matter what?"

"Yes, but I don't want to drag you all into trouble with me, should worst comes to worst," Yuichiro answered with a sigh as she put her hand on her forehead.

"Hey, it's ok; we understand, Miss Hyakuya," Takeshi said kindly. "Family and friends don't abandon each other when things get rough. In fact, it's times like those that we should stick together the most, right?"

To that, everyone turned and stared at the brunette boy in surprise. It was no secret among them that Takeshi Saehara wasn't the brightest of people but even he can say something insightful and offer helpful suggestions every now and then.

And having Takeshi's support almost made Yuichiro forget how upset she was when he pulled up her skirt as a prank back in seventh grade.

"Thanks, Takeshi. That means a lot to me."

"So we're all in agreement then?" Satoshi asked. "If anyone wants to back out, now is the time."

"No way!" the Harada twins insisted.

"Then we all agree that we're in this together?" Shinoa asked as she stretched her arm and hand in front of her.

Everybody in the room nodded.

"Yes."

"Good! Family takes care of family. Let's make it the official policy of the Shinoa and Satoshi squads," the purple-haired girl said cheerfully as she turned to her fellow squad leader for approval.

Satoshi nodded as he placed his hand on top of Shinoa's and made a gesture for everyone else to follow.

"Agreed," they said in unison as each squad member placed their hands on top of their leaders'.

Yuichiro hesitated for a moment. The fact that her friends were willing to place their trust in her, even at possible risk to themselves boggled her mind until she remembered the smiling face of her blond orphanage brother every time she tried to deter him from putting himself at risk for her or the other Hyakuya kids.

 _We're family, right? It's what we do._

 _That's right…_ Yuu reminded herself before her face broke out into a smile and she finally joined her friends' pledge.

"Yes."

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. n canon, demon weapons may curse or possess someone if they touch them though there are exceptions in Yuichiro's case, possibly due to her willpower. The series also never clarifies what happens when someone touches or tries to use a weapon contracted to someone else.**

 **2\. Refer to my fem!Yuu prequel "Who She is Within", Chapter 19.**

 **3\. In anime/manga, sweat-dropping symbolizes nervousness or uneasiness on a character's part.**

 **4\. In canon, male!Yuu is very trusting of Guren and almost completely blind to his faults. Fem!Yuu, on the other hand, acknowledges them and does not trust Guren completely.**


	11. From the Shadows of the Demon Army

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate version of the Nagoya arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta reader, ResidentialPsycho, for her help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!**

 **Chapter 11: From the Shadows of the Demon Army**

 **Japanese Imperial Demon Army Headquarters, Shinjuku Branch**

Guren Ichinose sighed quietly and placed his hands behind his back as he casually walked up the stairway that led to the rooftop of the first office building at the Shinjuku Branch of JIDA Headquarters. He had originally intended to summon Yuichiro to the training yard to test her sword-fighting skills that morning until he received a summons of his own by none other than the lieutenant general himself.

Though Guren normally preferred no interaction with any of his superior officers outside of their boring-ass meetings, he knew a direct summon from Kureto Hiragi was not something he could ignore.

 _Let's get this over with…_ Guren thought wryly as he finally reached the top of the stairs and passed through the doorway to the rooftop where Kureto wanted to meet.

When he finally reached his destination, the lieutenant colonel immediately noticed three common vampires clad in white prison uniforms chained to a pole right in the center of the rooftop. As soon as the starved vampires saw Guren, their crimson eyes glittered dangerously and they dashed towards him while screaming for his blood.

Without even bothering to draw his sword, Guren stepped back slightly, putting just enough distance between himself and the vampires so that they could not reach him and found themselves being jerked back roughly by their chains. The creatures looked so pitiful that Guren briefly pondered if he should just put them out of their misery when he heard the sounds of clapping coming from above him.

Looking up, the lieutenant colonel saw the person who had ordered a meeting with him here and narrowed his eyes slightly, making no attempt to hide his disgust at his superior's idea of entertainment.

"Very good, Guren. It's just like you to avoid exerting energy needlessly, a very useful skill for staying alive on the battlefield," the lieutenant general praised.

Unimpressed, Guren gave the other man a slightly dirty look. "You've got some pretty sick hobbies, Kureto…" he sneered.

Instead of being offended by Guren's snarky (and daring) remark, Kureto merely gave him a smirk of amusement.

"You mean this?" he asked almost innocently. "Why, I'm only trying to see if I can force these vampires to become demons so we can create cursed gear more efficiently. Especially since that knowledge became lost with the passing of my little sister."

Guren raised a brow. "Oh really? Any luck making that happen?"

Kureto shook his head. "Unfortunately, common vampires don't turn easily. Those that do are far too weak to make effective weapons so they're utterly and completely useless for anything other than brief entertainment," he answered before finally drawing his own sword and releasing a wave of gold lightning towards the creatures in question.

Guren did not even flinch when the lightning flew past him and burned the pitiful vampires to ashes before Kureto finally jumped down from the structure he was standing on overlooking the rooftop.

"What do you really want?" Guren demanded. "You didn't call me here just to tell me that."

"You're right, Guren, I didn't," the other man admitted coolly as he casually sheathed his sword before asking: "Did you come alone?"

"Of course, I did. That's what you told me to do, right?"

"True. But weren't you the least bit worried that it was a trap and that I might've had you killed?"

Now it was Guren's turn to smirk. "And why would you do that?"

"Because you're an insubordinate pain-in-the-ass, just like that smart-mouthed ward of yours. But since you _did_ raise her, I suppose it should come as no surprise."

"Even so, I know you won't kill me as long as I'm worth more to you alive than dead," Guren shot back.

"Correct. That's why I called you here: I've got a few questions for you to see if that is still the case."

"Ask away. I got nothing to hide."

"Good. This should make things easier then. Those kids in the Shinoa and Satoshi squads who are all skilled black demon weapon users, where did you come by them in such a short period of time? Who are they and where did they come from?"

Guren shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me," he answered innocently. "I supposed I just got lucky."

Kureto's eyes glittered almost dangerously. "Impossible," he countered. "You and I both know that every black demon weapon user was a human experiment at one point. And after what we witnessed in Shinjuku, I have no doubt Yuichiro Hyakuya was as well."

"Is that what's bothering you, Kureto? I thought you'd be happy to have a few more skilled black demon weapon users on our side."

"Indeed I am. In today's world, humanity must continually strive for greater power if we are to survive and I think it would be in both of our best interests if you were to share the fruits of your experiments, especially with Yuichiro Hyakuya."

Guren shook his head and made a swiping gesture with his hand. "Sorry, but no. My girl is off limits, even to you, Kureto." ***1***

The lieutenant general could not help but smile in amusement at his subordinate's refusal.

"And why is that?" he challenged. "I asked Miss Hyakuya herself when I 'interviewed' her a while back but since she could not answer, why don't you enlighten me in her place: what is she to you?"

For a moment, Guren hesitated as if he wasn't sure how to answer before saying: "She's like the rest of those kids in the Shinoa and Satoshi squads."

"Is that so? If that's all the girl was to you, you wouldn't have raised her yourself from childhood and taken such great pains to keep her a secret from me all these years."

"Just what are you implying, _my lord?"_ Guren sneered.

"I imply nothing," Kureto answered simply. "However, Seishiro suggested something that had me wondering…"

"Wondering what?"

"That she may be… more than just a child under your care, so to speak."

"Yuichiro is nothing of the sort," Guren replied coldly, trying not to let his discomfort show at the other man's rather intrusive inquiry.

But Kureto Hiragi was not a man who was easily fooled. He knew his subordinate long enough to read him better than most people and decided to press the issue a little further.

"Very well, Guren. If she's not your…special companion, then what is she to you? You don't strike me as the fatherly type."

"I had my reasons for taking Yuichiro in. None of which concerns _you_ , Kureto," Guren answered irritably.

"There's no need to be defensive, Guren; I really don't care about your personal relationship with the girl. What I want to know is: what're your plans for her? Are you intent on using Yuichiro to stage a coup d'état?"

Guren could not help grinning at his superior's assumption.

"Is that what you think, Kureto? If I had really wanted to, I could just kill you where you stand and save myself the trouble of such a thing."

Unfazed by the threat, the other man called Guren out on his bluff.

"We both know you can't, Guren."

"Wanna bet?" he challenged.

"Heh, this brings back memories of high school; remember how we used to cross blades then? Unfortunately, times have changed and I do not have time for such petty squabbles and neither do you. Don't get me wrong, I'm actually grateful for all you've done; if it wasn't for you and Mahiru completing the cursed gear, humanity would not have survived the fall."

"Get to the point."

"My point is that you haven't changed; no matter what happens, you can't betray your friends and allies. And as long as that is so, I know I can trust you because you will _never_ be a threat to me."

Though he knew his superior was absolutely right, Guren kept his cool and remained emotionless as he asked:

"So is that why you called me here? To gloat?"

"Not at all; such a thing would be childish and trivial. There are more important things that require my attention. And yours."

"Such as?"

Turning from him briefly, the other man made a gesture with his arm. "Look around you, Guren, what do you see?"

"What? Isn't it obvious? I see a world that has been brought to ruin, a world where humans basically live at the mercy of the vampires as well as Horsemen of John. At least those not lucky enough to live within the walls."

"Understandable. What I want to know is: where do we go from here? What's your vision of the future?"

"Since when were you ever interested in _my_ opinion, Kureto?"

"Think about it, Guren. Even if we could obtain all the power we need or want, what would be the point of it all if we had no end goal in mind?"

Understanding finally dawned on Guren. "I suppose you're right, Kureto. What _is_ the Demon Army's goal in all this? Or more accurately, what's _your_ goal?"

Kureto smiled before turning his back to Guren and folding his hands behind himself.

"Simple. I'm going to rebuild the world. The vampires may have destroyed our every method of communicating with the outside world, but I'm certain there must be other human organizations that survived the apocalypse as well."

"So what you want is to re-establish communication with the outside world, is that it?" Guren asked.

"Not quite," the other man answered before turning to face him again. "My goal is to eradicate all the vampires before moving on to find those other human organizations and make them submit to us, uniting the entire world under the banner of the Japanese Imperial Demon Army."

Laughing was not something that came easy to Guren Ichinose, but even he had to release a brief guffaw at Kureto's absurd plan.

"Are you serious?" he asked after he managed to calm himself. "That might sound cute coming from a naive kid but don't you think you're a bit old for such a grandiose dream? Especially since you have no idea how powerful these other surviving human organizations can be, _if_ they exist?"

Unoffended by his subordinate's blatant display of disrespect, Kureto merely shrugged his shoulders.

"It's actually more attainable than you think, Guren. What I want to know is: are you with me? Even if our reasons are different, we should have no problems working together if our goals are the same. Or at least somewhat similar."

"I'm already following you, aren't I?"

"Can I trust you on that?"

"If you didn't, you would've already killed me by now."

"True, just checking. Anyway, let's get down to business, shall we?"

"Be my guest…"

Kureto gave Guren a brief smile before continuing. "The vampires will be attacking again soon. That's why we have to make a pre-emptive strike before they do."

"And I take it you have a plan in the works?"

"Of course. The vamps' strategies are quite simple, really. They believe themselves superior and always underestimate humanity."

Guren crossed his arms. "Tell me something I don't know."

"They also lack unity which means they don't share information or get along. The nobility is the only thing holding vampire society together so if we eliminate the nobles, the rest of them should fall apart and be ripe for the taking."

The lieutenant colonel scoffed at his superior's overly simple strategy.

"You make it sound so easy…"

"It actually _is_ that easy. As of now, there are twenty-five vampire nobles in Japan and we've managed to locate every one of them."

"And how did you do that?" Guren demanded.

"Simple. We've trained several children as spies and sent them into Sanguinem. The vampires think of humans as brainless livestock, so they don't bother to remember their names or faces. The kids can get away with practically anything."

Guren grimaced at the thought of his superior using young children as pawns and putting them at risk.

"Now who's underestimating who?" he pointed out. "The vamps didn't survive all these centuries and millennia by being sloppy and stupid."

Now it was Kureto's turn to laugh. "Concerned? Trying to warn me that this could be a trap?"

"It may very well be."

"I'm actually quite aware of that, Guren. That's why I'm giving you these orders. You've spent a great deal of time polishing your squads so you must be itching to test them out, right? Well, now's your chance to see just what they're capable of. Even if it _is_ a trap, they should be able to pull through. If you've train them well enough, that is."

"So you're basically sending us on a suicide mission, is that right?"

Kureto shook his head. "Not at all. This is a very vital mission that could determine the future of humanity, one that I can only entrust to someone capable. Instead of waiting for the vamps to attack, we'll bring the war right to their doorstep."

"Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Because we already know their plans: the vamps are going to bring their whole army down on Tokyo in one week's time. If we let them make the first move, our army will be wiped out. Despite our advances in technology, the difference between their power and ours is still great. If the nobles attack all at once, we don't stand a chance. That's why I'm telling _you_ to take your squad along with those newbies from the Shinoa and Satoshi squads and our finest soldiers from the vampire extermination ranks to Nagoya."

"Why Nagoya?"

"Because there are currently ten nobles building a base there; lure them off one by one and destroy them before taking it over."

Guren became skeptical at Kureto's suggestion. "Are you serious? If we did that, the other vampires will notice for sure."

"That's the idea. Your job will be to distract them. Meanwhile, the rest of us will prepare for the _real_ battle."

Appalled, Guren found his face curling slightly in disgust that Kureto had practically told him to use the three squads under his command as well as the additional soldiers that would be accompanying them as possible cannon fodder.

"The _real_ battle?" he challenged. "You have no intention of telling me what your real plans are? And I thought you said you trusted me."

Kureto dismissed his subordinate's accusation with a wave of his hand. "Don't sulk, Guren. It's not like I don't trust you, quite the opposite. After all, sending someone with a headful of top secret plans to the front line would be unwise, wouldn't it? Just follow my orders and trust _me_ for a change and I promise you a world where the vampires will serve as _our_ livestock."

Guren said nothing but silently nodded, even if he didn't quite approve of Kureto's plan.

After all, it wasn't his place to question the orders and decisions of his superiors.

As soon as he was certain that he had secured Guren's cooperation, Kureto smiled triumphantly, his expression almost child-like.

"Remember, Guren. In one week, take all three of your squads and our finest soldiers to Nagoya, carry out your mission, and leave the rest to us. That will be all," the lieutenant general said before he finally turned and left the other man alone with his thoughts. ***2***

As he slowly went over the details of Kureto's mission in his mind, Guren palmed the hilt of his sword, pushing the blade slightly from its sheath out of habit with his thumb, when he suddenly felt a soft breeze on his cheek as well as someone gently embracing him from behind.

" _Don't listen to him, my love. It's_ my _orders you should be following. Remember, I'm the only one who can make your wish come true…"_ a female voice whispered.

Guren gritted his teeth but refused to turn around and look his demon contractor in the face.

"You forget your place, demon…" he warned softly.

" _Hahaha… but you know I'm right,"_ she teased.

"Don't push it…"

" _Tsk, fine. You're such a killjoy, Guren,"_ the demon pouted but obeyed and ceased her teasing before losing her human form and vanishing into her master's sword.

As soon as he was sure the creature was back where she belonged, Guren finally allowed the blade to slide back into its sheath before looking up at the sky where it began to rain.

 **SSSSSS**

 **Kyoto, outside of Sanguinem**

"Do you think he's coming?" Lacus asked his raven-haired companion as he casually straightened the collar of his uniform. Both he and Rene had arrived at the surface after departing the vampire city ten minutes earlier.

But unlike the other vampire soldiers, they stayed behind to wait for Mikaela who appeared to be running late.

"I don't see any reason why he wouldn't; Lord Ferid said this will be a pivotal battle in our war against the humans," Rene answered dryly.

"Precisely," the purple-haired vampire replied. "And considering that it's going to be our most dangerous mission yet, I'd imagine the queen would want to keep little Mika safe at home by her side."

"You speak of the prince as if he were a child, Lacus…" ***3***

"Compared to us, he is."

"True, but he's still capable and old enough to fight."

Before Lacus could reply, both and Rene heard footsteps and turned to see the young man in question emerging from the shadows.

Not caring if Mika heard, Lacus gave a polite, even if faked, smile.

"So you _are_ coming after all, Mika…" he said humorously as if he didn't expect the younger vampire to show up.

The blond gave him a blank stare. "That's what my orders were," he answered flatly.

Lacus smiled coldly. "Just don't slow us down, Mika."

Mikaela was about to make a snarky retort when Rene finally cut in, knowing they could not afford to waste time.

"Knock it off, you two," he said sharply before turning to the blond and asking: "You're aware of our mission?"

Mika nodded. For once, he was relieved and grateful for Rene's intervention because he was not in the mood to argue with Lacus. Not when he was finally given the chance to find Yuichiro for good.

"Yes. I was told that we are to follow the army up to Nagoya to confront and eliminate the human resistance in the northeast by the queen herself."

"Yes, that's right. I trust you won't have a problem moving in that new uniform?" Rene asked.

The blond shook his head. Like his companions, Mika was clad in the new uniform of the vampire army, a more simplified version of their previous one consisting of a long, high-collared white shirt with multiple black straps and matching white pants.

Much to his relief, the cape was shorter, making it less of a hindrance, and the boots were more comfortable and flexible. All and all, the new vampire army uniform allowed greater mobility and freedom of movement. Both of which he will need to take Yuichiro away from the upcoming chaos once he found her.

"None," Mike answered simply. "In fact, I prefer it to the old one."

"Good to hear. Shall we get going then?"

"Of course."

And that afternoon, the order to take Nagoya for the vampires was finally given.

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. In canon, Kureto lumps male!Yuu in with Yoichi and Kimizuki when asking Guren how he came by them. But since my AU includes Satoshi Hiwatari and his squad who are also black demon weapon users, I had Kureto bring up fem!Yuu specifically to make her stand out a bit more in regards to her powers and relationship to Guren.**

 **2\. In the manga, Kureto tells Guren to go to Nagoya one month from the time of their meeting. The anime does not really clarify the time frame but for my AU, I shortened it to one week because I thought a month was too long.**

 **3\. In canon, the vampires in Sanguinem know that Mika is Krul's favorite, not that he was turned and adopted by her. In my AU, they know and acknowledge both so in a sense, Mika would be their prince.**


	12. The Road to Ebina

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate re-telling of the Nagoya arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again I would like to thank my beta reader, ResidentialPsycho, for her help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!**

 **Chapter 12: The Road to Ebina**

 **November 19, 2020**

 **Outside Shinjuku City Walls**

"So where are we going, Shinoa?" Yuichiro asked her squad leader as she helped Yoichi and Kimizuki load their supplies onto an old military truck large enough to accommodate both theirs and Satoshi's squad along with their supplies. To avoid the risk of getting separated from taking two vehicles, everyone agreed that it was best to take only one.

"The lieutenant colonel informed me that we are to meet his squad as well as the rest of the MDC at Ebina rest stop before heading on to Nagoya with them," Shinoa answered before turning to her fellow squad leader, who happened to be looking over his list on things to bring.

Satoshi nodded. "Yeah, I got the order too. It was a bit sudden but not really surprising considering how the circumstances of this war can change anytime."

"Or any war," Daisuke added humorously as he walked up behind his squad leader.

Without turning around, Satoshi asked: "Is that everything, Daisuke?"

The red-haired boy nodded. "Yes. We should have just about enough food and water for both our squads until we reach Ebina."

"I made sure to bring some blankets, too," Mitsuba called over her shoulder after handing them to Takeshi who was already on the open backseat of the truck. "We probably won't need them since the drive is just a few hours but just in case we find ourselves having to camp out someplace overnight again."

"Wait, did Guren tell you exactly when we had to be at Ebina, Shinoa?" Yuichiro asked curiously as she paused from her task of handing the water gallons over to Kimizuki.

Shinoa shrugged. "He said he expected everyone to be there at 1400 ***1*** hours, so we've got plenty of time," she answered.

"Well, since it's just past 900 hours ***2*** , we should be able to make it if we leave within thirty minutes or so," Satoshi said before finally turning to Daisuke when he noticed that the Harada twins were nowhere to be seen. "Hey, where's Risa and Riku?" he demanded.

"They'll be here shortly," the red-haired boy answered. "Riku said she and Risa wanted us to have a hot breakfast-to-go and promised to make it quick so I saw no reason to argue with her."

Satoshi sighed. "I swear, Dai, you indulge the girls a bit too much, especially Riku. I know you're very fond of her, but we can't afford any unnecessary distractions, especially if we're going to make it to Ebina on time." ***3***

Daisuke threw his hands up. "Ok, ok, Sato. I'll remind the girls then. Sheesh, lighten up a little, will ya?"

Satoshi was about to reprimand the other boy for his loose tongue when Shinoa cut in.

"Now, now, Satoshi, I agree with Mr. Niwa and the twins. This could be the last hot meal we're going to have for a while, so we may as well take advantage of it. If you haven't experienced living on nothing but field rations for an extended period of time yet, I can tell you that it's no fun."

Knowing that his fellow squad leader was probably right, Satoshi decided to let Daisuke's comment slide, so long as he did not make a habit of it.

"I suppose so, Shinoa. You probably speak from experience, am I right?"

"Yes. I can't tell you how grateful I was to finally have a home-cooked meal after living on field rations the last time I had an away mission that lasted more than two weeks." ***4***

"Do you think this assignment in Nagoya will last that long?" Daisuke asked curiously.

Shinoa shrugged. "Hard to say. Missions can be very unpredictable and last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, even months. We should get the details from the lieutenant colonel once we meet him in Ebina."

Yuichiro frowned at the mention of her guardian. She hadn't spoken to Guren much since her "interview" with Kureto and honestly wasn't looking forward to seeing him again any time soon. But the ravenette knew she wouldn't be able to avoid seeing or speaking to Guren forever.

Yoichi, who had become a bit more sensitive to Yuichiro's emotions over the past few weeks, gave his squad mate a look of concern.

"Hey, Yuu, are you alright?" he asked gently while trying to avoid mentioning the man he knew was on her mind.

"I-I'm fine!" Yuichiro stammered as she tried not to let her discomfort show. "If Guren expects us to be at Ebina by 1400 hours, we should be heading out soon."

"We will as soon as Risa and Riku get here," Mitsuba said as she finally boarded the truck to wait for the twins.

"They better not take too long. I'd rather not get chewed out by the lieutenant colonel just for a hot meal," Kimizuki muttered as he pushed his glasses up his nose from the driver's seat.

"I'll go get them!" Mitsuba offered and was about to get off the truck when she saw Shinoa make a gesture for her to sit down again.

"No need; they're here!" she said cheerfully before turning to face to Harada twins who were carrying two large insulated lunch totes each. "Oooh, that smells so good!" Shinoa squealed in excitedly. "What did you two make?"

Risa giggled as she handed her the totes she was carrying. "We made omelets, bacon and biscuits as well as some freshly squeezed orange juice," she answered. "These two bags should have enough food and drink for your squad while Riku's should have enough for ours."

At the mention of food, Takeshi found his stomach growling and had to refrain from drooling.

"Wow, you girls actually made an editable breakfast this time?" he asked excitedly as he leaned over the rail of the truck slightly. "Way to go! For a minute there, I was actually worried…"

The brunette boy never got to finish his sentence before he felt Mitsuba smack him none-too-gently on the back of his head.

"Hmph!" she snorted, not liking to have a reminder of her own failed attempt to make an omelet. Takeshi yelped in pain and rubbed the back of his head but did not dare to say anything that might anger Mitsuba further.

At the sight, Yuichiro found her face breaking into a grin and laughed merrily. Although the ravenette knew it was impolite and insensitive to find amusement at the expense of her squad mate's mistakes, she was secretly glad to have something to get her mind off of Guren, even for a moment.

Mitsuba, however, didn't quite see it that way. Especially since she got up at the crack of dawn that morning to make or at least attempt to make everybody breakfast alongside Shinoa and the Harada twins.

"Well, I'm glad someone finds this amusing!" she scoffed while crossing her arms and giving Yuichiro a glare that did little to hide her embarrassment over the memory.

"Aww, come on, don't be upset, Mitsu," Yoichi said as he struggled to contain his own laughter. "Everything still worked out, didn't it?"

"True," Shinoa agreed. "Anyway, is everyone ready now? We can eat on the way, but we really should get going if we're going to reach Ebina on time."

"You're right," Satoshi agreed. "I take it Kimizuki will be driving?"

"Yes. He has the most experience of us all so it only makes sense we let him drive."

"Hey, I have experience too!" Yuichiro insisted as she reached down from her seat on the truck and tapped the pink-haired boy on the shoulder before continuing. "You know, I can drive, Kimizuki. So why not let me do it?"

"Yes, I do but I think it's best if _I_ drive for now. You can sit in front and read the map to me; it would help a lot. If it'll make you feel better, you can drive later when I need to rest," the pink-haired boy replied, hoping his offer will pacify Yuichiro.

Disappointed but not wanting to argue with Kimizuki and waste time, Yuichiro sighed and accepted.

"Ok, I understand."

"Good, Yuu. Hey, Shinoa! Satoshi! Ready when you are!" the pink-haired boy called out to their squad leaders.

Taking the hint, Shinoa and Satoshi finally gave the order for both squads to board the truck so they could get going.

"Let's go, everyone!" Shinoa said in her usual cheerful manner. "Next stop, Ebina!"

"Right!"

 **SSSSSS**

 **Tomei Expressway, somewhere between Tokyo and Nagoya**

"Hey, Kimizuki, do you know how much longer till we reach Ebina?" Yuichiro asked casually as she set down the map she was reading to her pink-haired squad mate.

"Hard to say," Kimizuki answered. "The map only gives directions, not the time frame for travel. But since we've been on the road for about two hours now, I predict we should get there in about another two. That is, if we don't run into any trouble."

"Hmm…I guess you're right, Kimizuki," Yuichiro sighed as she took a brief moment to look up at the sky from her seat on the passenger side.

Although the ravenette knew this wasn't going to be a picnic, she had to admit that it _was_ a nice day to go out for a drive. The weather was perfectly warm for a November day and there was not a cloud to obstruct her view of the clear blue sky.

The sky that reminded of her Mikaela's eyes.

Shinoa, ever so curious, could not resist the urge to tease the other girl. For she knew Yuichiro long enough to know that her thoughts were occupied by the handsome blond vampire they saw in Shinjuku whenever she engaged in long periods of silence.

"Hey, Yuu, what's on your mind?" the purple-haired girl asked playfully while ignoring the eye roll she was getting from Mitsuba who was sitting across from her on the backseat of the truck they and the rest of their companions were seated while Kimizuki and Yuichiro sat up front.

Without turning around, Yuichiro answered: "I was thinking of what a nice day it is. It's perfectly warm and sunny and the sky is so blue that it's easy to forget the world is ruined."

At Yuichiro's answer, Shinoa turned to the Harada twins and winked. Catching on to her drift, Risa giggled.

"Is that all, Yuu?" she teased. "I'm sure you've noticed that the world has been ruined every day for the last eight years."

"And that the sky has always been blue, at least most of the time," Riku added with a grin. "But the sky is not what you're _really_ thinking of, is it?"

Yuichiro scowled. She knew perfectly well what her friends were implying but was determined not to take the bait.

"Never mind that," the ravenette said. "There are more important things we should be concerned with now."

"Oh, come on, Miss Hyakuya!" Shinoa teased. "You're always so serious! All work and no play makes Yuu a dull girl! I know your duties are important, but you need to learn how to enjoy life too! Oh, I know! While we're on this route, why don't we stop by the Hakone Hot Springs? You _have_ been there, right?" ***5***

Yuichiro frowned at the mention of the famed tourist spot back when the world was normal.

"No, _I_ haven't. But my parents have. They often left me at home with my grandmother and later by myself after she passed away to go there."

As soon as they heard Yuichiro's surprising revelation, the other girls ceased their teasing and felt bad for bringing it up. Even Mitsuba was overcome with pity for her rival squad mate.

"Oh…I'm sorry," Shinoa apologized. "I had no idea."

Yuichiro shrugged her shoulders. "It doesn't matter anymore; my parents are both dead. I don't miss them much since they passed away when I was really young."

Mitsuba frowned as she gave Shinoa a silent look that told her to be more careful with her words around Yuichiro. The boys, on the other hand, knew better than to say anything about the subject and choose to listen silently while looking down at their demon weapons. Kimizuki drove on, listening but not speaking.

Shinoa was about to make an attempt to change the subject when everyone suddenly heard a loud roar coming from some distance ahead of their truck.

Looking past Kimizuki's and Yuichiro's shoulders, everyone in the back saw a single Horseman of John in the distance, running towards them at break-neck speed.

"Shit, a Horseman of John!" Satoshi cursed. "It must have detected our presence and is coming after us!"

"What are we going to do?" Daisuke asked in a panic as he reached for his demon whip.

"I know! Why don't Takeshi and I try shooting it down before it can reach us?" Yoichi suggested before turning to his fellow sniper. "What do you think?"

Takeshi nodded. "Good idea, Saotome! Though that Horseman still looks a bit too far to hit."

"It's all right! At least try to slow it down long enough for us to get away!" Shinoa ordered before turning to Satoshi to seek his approval.

The other squad leader unbuckled his seat-belt and stood up. "Yes, do as Shinoa says!" he told Yoichi and Takeshi. "But in case it's not enough, I'll take that Horseman down myself!"

As soon as Yuichiro heard that, she unbuckled her own seatbelt before turning to face Satoshi. "Wait, Sato! I don't think you should take that monster on by yourself while we're moving this fast. Let me help you!"

"Ok, but let's see if Saotome and Saehara can take it down first!"

Yuichiro said nothing but sat back down and pulled Asuramaru onto her lap. Looking ahead, she saw two demon arrows, one green and the other red, fly over her head as Yoichi and Takeshi attempted to shoot the approaching Horseman of John down.

But while both archers were able to hit their target, it was, as she predicted, not enough to immobilize the creature or stop it from running into them head-on from this distance. At best, their arrows slowed it down just a little.

Kimizuki also noticed and broke into a nervous sweat but since he had his hands full with driving the truck, there was nothing the pink-haired boy could do but rely on his squad mates to take care of the problem at hand.

"Shit, it's not stopping!" he cursed. "Yuu! Sato! It looks like we're gonna need you to take care of it after all!"

"Way ahead of you, Kimizuki!" Yuichiro said with a grin as she stood up and withdrew Asuramaru from its sheath before turning to Satoshi. "Ready, Sato?" she asked the blue-haired boy.

Sharing the ravenette's excitement at the opportunity of a quick thrill, Satoshi returned her grin as he withdrew Krad from its sheath.

"Of course! Ladies first!"

"Just so you two know, I'm not gonna stop or slow down!" Kimizuki warned from his seat in the front without turning around. "I can't risk damaging the vehicle so make sure you get rid of that Horseman quick!"

"That's fine, Kimizuki! There's no need for you to do either anyway!" Yuichiro exclaimed as she turned to Satoshi and nodded her head in the direction of the approaching Horseman of John.

Taking the hint, the blue-haired boy braced himself alongside Yuichiro and followed her as she jumped off the truck and used her enhanced demonic speed to reach the Horseman of John before it could collide with the moving vehicle. Together, both sword fighters were able to destroy it quickly with Yuichiro slicing off the creature's spidery limbs to keep it from moving any further while Satoshi delivered the killing blow by decapitating it.

After destroying the Horseman of John, both Yuichiro and Satoshi used energy waves from their swords to clear the corpse from the road so that the truck carrying the rest of their companions and supplies would not run into it.

"Ok, we're done here, Shinoa!" Yuichiro called out from behind the truck, expecting her to order Kimizuki to slow down and stop so that she and Satoshi can rejoin their squads.

But unfortunately, the purple-haired brat had other plans.

"Don't slow down, Kimizuki! Just keep going!" Shinoa ordered while tapping the pink-haired boy on the shoulder.

"What?" he demanded without turning around.

"Just do it!" she insisted before standing up from her seat and playfully waving at Yuichiro and Satoshi.

"Bye, bye, you two! Meet you at the Ebina rest stop when you get there!" Shinoa laughed while ignoring the glare Mitsuba was giving her as well as the bewildered looks from Yoichi and their other companions from Satoshi's squad.

"What the hell?!" Satoshi exclaimed as he stared after his fellow squad leader in shock while the truck disappeared into the distance.

Yuichiro gritted her teeth. "Don't be surprised, Sato," she growled. "This is probably another one of Shinoa's stupid jokes."

"Is it? Well, I am _not_ laughing!" Satoshi said angrily. "She can't seriously be expecting us to _walk_ the rest of the way to Ebina, can she?!"

Sighing, the ravenette sheathed her sword and gave her blue-haired companion a moment to do the same after he managed to calm down.

"Whether she does or not, it doesn't look like we have a choice. Let's go, Sato," Yuichiro said flatly as she began walking.

Not relishing the idea of a long and tiring walk, the blue-haired boy cursed Shinoa but knew Yuichiro was right.

"Fine," he said. "Let's go, Yuu."

As luck would have it, Yuichiro and Satoshi came upon their other companions an hour later. That was, when Shinoa finally ordered Kimizuki to make a stop on the side of the road to re-fuel the truck from the portable fuel tank they carried out of the city along with their supplies.

"Hey, you two, need a lift?" The purple-haired girl teased when she saw Yuichiro and Satoshi approach.

Neither of Shinoa's victims was in the mood for jokes and glared at her.

"You _do_ know we're going to be late because of this, do you, Miss Hiragi?" Satoshi demanded.

Unconcerned, the purple-haired girl brushed off her fellow squad leader's words as if they were nothing serious.

"You worry too much, Mr. Hiwatari! Lighten up a little! You're only going to be young once so may as well have fun and enjoy it, right?"

"If we were normal kids living in a normal world, I might agree with you, Shinoa. But in case you haven't noticed, we're soldiers fighting in a war against vampires and your stupid pranks can end up costing us dearly!" Yuichiro spat as she shook an accusing finger at her squad leader.

Shinoa threw up her arms in the air in mock surrender. "My, so serious, Miss Hyakuya! I swear you grow more like Guren every day!"

Tired of being constantly compared to her guardian and mentor, Yuichiro sighed and finally decided to drop it. As upset as she was over Shinoa's prank, Yuichiro knew what's done was done and the only thing they could do now was to move on to their destination and hope Guren wouldn't be too upset when, not if, they arrived late.

"Forget it, Shinoa. I don't want to hear it. Let's just finish re-fueling and be on our way ASAP."

Much to her relief, the purple-haired girl finally ceased her teasing and became serious again.

"Ok, Yuu. Whatever you say."

 **SSSSSS**

"Let me drive, Kimizuki," Yuichiro said quietly as she held out her hand for the car keys when the group boarded the truck again so they can continue their journey.

The pink-haired boy raised a brow. "Are you sure? Both you and Satoshi have been walking for a while before you caught up to us; aren't you tired? I know this is also my fault for going along with our squad leader's idiotic stunt, so I don't mind driving us the rest of the way."

"It's ok, Kimizuki. I need to practice my driving skills anyway" Yuichiro insisted.

Sighing, the pink-haired boy gave in and handed his squad mate the keys.

"Ok, I understand. But promise to let me take over if you're feeling tired, ok?"

"I will."

After being on the road for about an hour in silence, Shinoa decided to try and reconcile with Yuichiro and Satoshi.

"Hey, Yuu, are you still upset? You know I didn't seriously intend to let you and Mr. Hiwatari walk the rest of the way to Ebina," she apologized to her subordinate whose back was turned to her as she was driving the truck in Kimizuki's place. As for the pink-haired boy, he sat on the passenger side this time to read the map guiding them to their destination.

Satoshi shot her a dirty look. "Thanks, Miss Hiragi, that makes us feel _so_ much better!" he said sarcastically.

As a soldier, Yuichiro was no stranger to discomfort and hardship. But that did not mean she appreciated being forced to exert unnecessary energy because her squad leader felt the urge to play a childish prank that will end up making both squads late to their destination.

"I hope you're ready to answer to Guren for this, Shinoa," the ravenette said without emotion. "As for me, the last thing I need is another lecture from him on punctuality, especially since we have such an important mission ahead of us!"

Understanding dawned on the purple-haired girl. "Is that what you're afraid of? What your guardian will say? Come on, Yuu, it wouldn't be the first time we got chewed out by him; how bad can it be?"

Yuichiro scowled. She and Guren weren't exactly on speaking terms right now and the ravenette tried to avoid any kind of confrontation with her mentor over the last two weeks. But now that it was inevitable they were going to be late because of Shinoa's prank, Yuichiro knew she was going to get an earful from the man when they arrived in Ebina.

"Hey, look," Daisuke cut in. "What's done is done, no point in arguing about it now. Why don't we focus on the mission instead? As I recall, neither you nor Satoshi have filled us in the details; I'm sure the lieutenant colonel must have confided in both of you before we left Shinjuku."

Satoshi sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose. While he was still displeased over Shinoa's prank, he knew there were more important things to worry about.

"You're right, Daisuke," he said. "When the lieutenant colonel called me and Shinoa into his office yesterday, he told us that he got orders from the top brass to lead the entire MDC into Nagoya to eliminate a group of nobles settled there."

"But why?" Yoichi asked.

"Yeah, what's the point of doing that?" Takeshi added.

"Because the vampire nobles are marching their armies from the Kansai region into Nagoya," Shinoa explained. "Considering that we've witnessed their power in Shinjuku firsthand, I'm sure all of you realize what will happen if the nobles make the first move and attack Tokyo."

"It means our army will be wiped out in the blink of an eye," Risa surmised.

"True…" Riku agreed. "Even with all our technological advances, the vamps are still so much stronger than us. The only way we have a chance of taking them down is to catch them by surprise."

"And just how are we going to do that?" Daisuke demanded.

"Simple," Kimizuki answered without lifting his gaze from the map he was reading or turning around. "I assume the lieutenant colonel plans to lure the nobles away from the base one by one so they can be eliminated easier?"

"Correct," Shinoa said. "Accordingly, we are to exterminate the nobles one at a time. And army intelligence pinpoints the location of at least ten of them in Nagoya."

"So basically, we're going to strike before their reinforcements from Kansai arrive and wipe out all the nobles in Nagoya, is that it?" Mitsuba asked.

Shinoa nodded. "Yes, that about sums it up."

"Wait a minute…" Risa began. "How do we know this isn't a trap? The vamps are way smarter than this; don't you think they would be able to see through the lieutenant colonel's plan easily?"

"Well, whether that's the case or not, we have our orders…" Satoshi said dryly. "We'll just have to put our faith in Miss Hyakuya's mentor, isn't that right, Yuu?"

Yuichiro was silent for a moment as if she was hesitant to answer. Despite his past dishonestly with her, the ravenette knew this dangerous mission was likely not Guren's idea and that he was merely following the orders of his own higher-ups, probably that of the lieutenant general, Kureto Hiragi.

But not knowing what else to say, Yuichiro nodded in agreement before answering:

"Yes, that's right. We're just going to have to trust Guren. All of us."

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. In military time, 1400 hours translates to two o' clock in the afternoon.**

 **2\. 900 hours translates to nine o' clock in the morning.**

 **3\. In the anime, DN Angel, Daisuke becomes romantically involved with Riku Harada when he realizes he does not truly love her sister, Risa.**

 **4\. In canon, Shinoa actually lived off of microwavable meals as a young child. She only got home-cooked meals whenever she visited Guren, Sayuri and Shigure.**

 **5\. In Japan, Hakone is a popular tourist spot noted for its** _ **onsen**_ _ **,**_ " **hot** **spring** **resorts", which attract both Japanese and international visitors due to its proximity to the greater** **Tokyo** **metropolis and to** **Mount Fuji** **.**


	13. The True Fear of Loss: Part I

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This fic is an alternate retelling of the Nagoya arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta reader, ResidentialPsycho, for her help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!**

 **Chapter 13: The True Fear of Loss, Part I**

 **Ebina Rest Stop**

"Where are they? I told those brats to get here early…" Guren growled impatiently as he looked down at the antique 19th century-style pocket watch Yuichiro had given him as a Christmas gift before she left for the Shibuya Guard. From the look of things, he saw that it was approaching fourteen hundred hours.

Sayuri and Shigure, who were walking just slightly behind their commander, gave each other a look of concern but said nothing. They both knew Guren was more worried about Yuichiro than anything, even though the younger girl was more than capable of taking care of herself. They also knew Yuichiro normally did not have a problem being on time and that, if she was this late along with the rest of Shinoa's and Satoshi's squads, something must have happened to them.

But both women knew it was probably better if they remained silent and waited for the younger squads to show up, whenever that may be.

Norito Goshi, however, tried a different approach to lighten Guren's sour mood. Waving what appeared to be a men's magazine in front of his friend, he said in the most cheerful tone he could muster, "Hey, Guren, I know you're worried about Yuu, but lighten up, will ya? She's a big girl now. And speaking of girls, check this out!"

Instead of being appreciative of his friend's attempt to cheer him up, Guren found himself growing more irritated.

"Check what out?" he asked with a roll of his eyes.

"This!" Goshi answered with a grin as he pointed to an old swimsuit edition of the popular western magazine _Sports Illustrated_ from over eight years ago. ***1***

Unimpressed, Guren scowled. "And what's so special about _that,_ Goshi?" he demanded.

Giving his friend a look that asked if he had been living under a rock, the blond man answered, "Duh! It's a swimsuit issue of _Sports Illustrated_! We were just high school kids before the apocalypse struck but now we're old enough to read these kinds of magazines, right? Man, I sure do miss seeing chicks in bikinis; I mean, it's not like the women in the army run around in them."

"And why would they?" Guren shot back. "It's not like anyone can go swimming now that the oceans are filled with acid!"

"Aww, come on! You know the ocean's not the only place for hot bikinis!" Goshi insisted as his hungry eyes wandered to Sayuri and Shigure.

"And where else would you wear one?" Guren retorted.

The blond man placed his chin in his hand. "Hmm… love hotels?" he joked. "But seriously, wouldn't you love to see Sayuri or Shigure or better yet, Mito, in a bikini?" Goshi persisted with a wag of his eyebrows.

Unlike her friend, who was usually more accommodating to Goshi's whims, Shigure shot the blond man a look that told him not to waste his time asking her because she would certainly not wear what she believed to be ridiculous strips of cloth that barely covered her privates decently. That was, unless Guren himself requested it.

Sayuri blushed at the suggestion. She had worn swimsuits before in her youth but nothing as provocative as the models in Goshi's magazine.

Fiddling with the skirt of her uniform, the honey-colored haired woman blushed like a shy school girl and looked down at her feet.

"Umm… well, if the lieutenant colonel says he wants to see me in a bikini, I'd be happy to wear one…" she said quietly. Though Sayuri wasn't used to wearing provocative attire, she was willing to do anything for Guren.

Excited by Sayuri's offer, Goshi turned back to Guren. "Really?!" he asked loudly as if he were a hormone-crazed teenage boy instead of the grown man he was. "Did you hear that, Guren? Say you wanna see 'em in bikinis, please!"

Annoyed with his subordinate's childish behavior, Guren tried to change the subject before Goshi embarrassed himself further.

"Anyway, did you see any vampires inside the building?" he asked.

The blond man shrugged. "Dunno, haven't looked."

That careless answered earned him a glare from his squad leader.

"Something tells me you're not really good at your job, Norito," he snapped.

"C'mon, you know Mito is much better at that kind of thing than me," the blond man replied cheerfully as he happily flipped through the pages of the magazine in his hand.

 _What a useless idiot…_ Guren thought as he shook his head and looked past Goshi's shoulder to see the crimson-haired woman approach.

Knowing that he wasn't going to get anything useful out of Goshi, Guren turned to her instead and asked: "Find anything, Mito?"

"Nothing" she answered coolly. "I have searched the entire premises and can assure you that there are no signs of a vampire presence."

Seeing another chance to get some eye candy, Goshi took it. Turning to Mito, he asked,

"Hey, Mito, how about you put on a sexy bikini for us?"

The crimson-haired woman was startled at the sudden and strange request.

"What?" she asked incredulously.

"Well, Guren here says he'd _love_ to see how your hot body looks beneath that boorish uniform!" the blond man teased with a grin, making Mito blush furiously like a young school girl.

Considering her love of sweets, it was a miracle the crimson-haired woman had managed to maintain her slender figure, even with intense martial arts training. But that didn't mean she liked to prance around almost naked to give eye candy to perverted men.

"Wh…what? Are you serious, Guren? At a time like this?" Mito demanded as she turned to her squad leader.

Instead of trying to deny Goshi's and Mito's accusations, Guren merely brushed them off when he noticed several military trucks pulling into the driveway.

"Good, it looks like everyone else is here at last" he said smoothly as he took the chance to leave the awkward conversation with his subordinates.

Infuriated that her secret crush was ignoring her, Mito shouted behind his back.

"Hey, don't walk away from me when I'm speaking to you!"

Ignoring the crimson-haired woman, Guren slightly picked up his pace without turning around until he noticed a vehicle that stood out from among the others approaching.

Knowing that only one person would to dare make such a flashy entrance with him in charge, Guren rolled his eyes and sighed as he watched the metallic red sports car stop in front of him before the door on the driver side opened to reveal a most useless and impractical white-haired major general with a piece of toast stuck in his mouth.

"Hawwo!" Shinya greeted cheerfully in a muffed tone with a wave of his hand.

Unfortunately, like Goshi before him, Shinya also failed to lighten his friend's sour mood with his flashy entrance and childish greeting.

"What are you doing here, Shinya? And why did you come in that car? The engine is way too loud; it's like you're practically begging the vamps and Horsemen of John to find you."

Before Shinya could answer, Goshi walked up from behind Guren and gawked at his friend's new car.

"Whoa, where did you find that awesome car, Shinya?" he asked excitedly. If there was one thing Norito Goshi loved more than beautiful, sexy women in bikinis, it was exotic sports cars.

"On the side of the road; it looked to be in good working order, so I decided to hotwire and take it as my own. I even covered the engine with sound-muffing tags to make it quieter, so that it wouldn't attract Horsemen of John."

Unimpressed, Guren said "That's such a waste of talismans, Shinya. What if you don't have enough should you run into a situation where you actually _need_ them?"

Shinya brushed off his friend's concerns with a wave of his hand, a habit Shinoa had picked up from him when she chose not to take something seriously. To Guren, his best friend was undoubtedly a bad influence on his adopted little sister but he knew it wasn't his place to tell the Hiragis how to raise their own.

"You know I'm always prepared for most anything, Guren. I may not look like it, but I carry _a lot_ of talismans on me for trivial whims and emergencies."

"I still think that car is a useless waste. Even before the apocalypse, the only thing those things were useful for is displaying the flashy lifestyles of the rich."

To that, Shinya gave his best friend a bit of a disappointed look but knew he shouldn't be surprised; Guren was never the kind of person to be impressed by material things like expensive houses, designer clothes, or flashy cars.

"I swear, Guren, even in a world like this, you need to learn to appreciate the finer things in life. Live a little!"

"Never mind that, Shinya. In any case, what are you even doing here? This isn't the kind of mission someone of your stature should bother with."

"True," the other man agreed as he casually munched on his toast. "My dear brother told me about it; you do realize that he just sent you on a suicide mission, right? There's no way you can take on ten vampire nobles, even with the entire MDC, without the backup of the rest of the army. That's just pure insanity."

"Probably. But we really don't have a choice; if we let the nobles attack first, our entire army will be wiped out anyway."

Shinya laughed after swallowing the last of his snack. "You are ever so self-sacrificing, Guren! Unfortunately, I can't let you have all the fun, so I've decided to bring myself over here to offer my assistance. You can thank me later," he teased with a wink.

"Hmph! I don't recall asking for _your_ assistance, Shinya. But since you insisted on bringing that flashy heap of junk here, I may as well make good use of it," Guren snorted before casually jumping on the hood of the car and clearing his throat before making his announcement to the soldiers who had begun to gather around him and his squad.

"Listen up, everyone! You've all been called out here for a reason and if we fail, all of humanity will die with us! As soon as everyone is gathered, we shall depart for Nagoya; the directives I hand out will cover specific strategic details…"

As they gave their squad leader his moment in the spotlight, Shinya quietly moved closer to Goshi and whispered in his ear "Hey, Goshi, don't you think Guren comes off as a bit childish making his inspirational speech on top of that car? Especially since he was going off about how useless it was just a minute ago?"

Goshi grinned as he crossed his arms and answered quietly "Doesn't surprise me, really. He may act like he doesn't care for it but I bet Guren is really dying to take it for a spin and probably would jump at the chance to do so if he didn't have to focus on this mission…"

Shinya was about to say something else when he heard the sound of a female clearing her throat from behind him and Goshi.

"Ahem!" Mito scolded. "No whispering like school kids in class, boys. This mission is important so pay attention!" she hissed. ***2***

Both Shinya and Goshi rolled their eyes but obeyed.

"Yes, Miss Jujo", they said in unison.

 **SSSSSS**

"Hey, Yuu, it looks like we're finally here; I can see the Ebina sign in the corner," Kimizuki said as he pointed towards the rusted, beat-up sign that finally confirmed their location.

"Great," she answered. "Now I just gotta find a place to park this thing."

"You can try that spot in the back behind the other vehicles," Shinoa suggested.

Looking in the direction where Shinoa pointed, it didn't take Satoshi long to figure out why she wanted Yuu to park there.

"Trying to cover up the fact that we've arrived half an hour later than we should have, Miss Hiragi?" the blue-haired squad leader asked in a none-too-pleased tone as Yuichiro parked the truck.

Shinoa laughed. "You worry too much, Mr. Hiwatari! I'm sure that if we blend in real quietly with the gathered troops, the lieutenant colonel will never notice we're late."

Satoshi snorted. "Well that might be true if the one person he's most watchful of isn't a member of your squad," he said grimly as he nodded his head in Yuichiro's direction.

The girl in question sighed in slight frustration. As if she needed a reminder of how there was no way Guren wouldn't notice she was absent or late to the MDC gathering.

But they both knew that wasn't going to stop the purple-haired brat from trying to cover their asses anyway, futile as it may be.

"Shinoa, we were supposed to be here by fourteen hundred hours and would have made it if you didn't decide to leave me and Satoshi behind to walk. We're lucky that we're only half an hour late instead of a whole hour thanks to my speeding," Yuichiro added as she tried to keep a lid on her temper.

"Miss Hyakuya, you worry too much. I'm sure your guardian has a lot on his mind, so surely he wouldn't notice if you as well as the rest of us are a little late to his gathering," Shinoa assured as she hopped off the truck and onto the pavement where she smoothed out her uniform. Satoshi rolled his eyes but said nothing and followed close behind.

"We're not a 'little' late, we're at least thirty minutes late," Kimizuki said grimly as he dreaded to think about how badly Guren might react to their tardiness but supposed it couldn't be helped. So pushing the thought to the back of his mind, the pink-haired boy got out of the truck and walked to the back to help Mitsuba as well as the Harada twins get off.

"Thanks, Kimizuki…" Mitsuba said after her squad mate gently set her down on the pavement. "So it looks like you _do_ know how to be a gentleman after all." ***3***

Trying not to let the blonde girl see him blush, Kimizuki turned his head away from her and said "I just don't want us to be any later than we already are if you got hurt trying to get off." Looking over Mitsuba's shoulder, the pink-haired boy called out to his other male companions. "Don't expect me to help you guys down, too. Hurry up and move your asses so we can join the lieutenant colonel and the rest of the MDC."

"Yeah, yeah. We get it, Kimizuki," Daisuke said as he followed Shinoa's example and hopped off the truck with Yoichi and Takeshi following close behind.

After she had made sure the brakes on the truck were set, Yuichiro finally got out to meet the rest of her companions. Not wanting to waste any more time, the ravenette finally took charge as if she were the leader of both squads.

"Let's go, everyone."

 **SSSSSS**

"I'm telling you, Shinoa, this is _never_ going to work…" Yuichiro grumbled as she reluctantly complied with her squad leader's quiet order for everyone to tiptoe to the back of the large group of soldiers gathered near the red sports car Guren was standing on top of like a make-shift stage. Shinya and the rest of his squad were standing in front of the car while silently allowing Guren to do all the talking.

From the look of things, the lieutenant colonel was making a speech that they missed a part of by being half an hour late, but Yuichiro could still tell it had something to do with his plans to ambush the nobles in Nagoya. Like Yuu herself, Satoshi also opposed having both squads sneak into the gathering like thieves in the night but gave into Shinoa's plan because deep down, he also hoped they can blend in without being noticed to avoid inciting Guren's wrath.

Unfortunately, such a notion was wishful thinking.

"Shinoa! Satoshi! Nice of you and your squads to finally show up!" Guren shouted in a voice loud enough to be heard by every soldier at the gathering.

Both squad leaders as well as their subordinates cringed when they heard themselves being called out by Yuichiro's less-than-pleased guardian for their tardiness. But Guren wasn't through with them yet.

"I was wondering when you kids were going to be here! It's a miracle you didn't manage to miss the entire war!"

Like children caught with their hands in the cookie jar, Shinoa and Satoshi finally stood upright with their squads following suit. Before the blue-haired boy could tell her to just confess and apologize, Shinoa tried once again to cover their asses. Or more accurately, her own since she knew it was her fault both squads were late.

Scratching her head, Shinoa brought on her most charming smile and laughed. "Well, sir, we have a _very_ good excuse for being late! I mean, it's not like we stopped by the hot springs for a-"

"Shut your mouth, brat!" Guren shouted angrily, obviously not in the mood for his subordinate's antics. "This mission isn't some childish game! If you can't even show up on time or follow basic orders, we don't need you! Go home!"

Yuichiro's breath hitched in her throat at her guardian's explosive anger. So far, Guren had tolerated Shinoa's antics because she was General Hiragi's daughter but this time he had no patience for her childish pranks; he made that clear when he humiliated the purple-haired girl in front of everyone.

Not wanting to lose the chance she had spent the last four years training and studying for, Yuichiro suddenly stepped forward and cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry, sir, this is all my fault; I didn't know how to drive so teaching me on the way made us all late."

Although such a confession came across as embarrassing to the other soldiers, many of them were impressed with the poise in which Yuichiro spoke and carried herself.

Guren himself was no exception and a small smile tugged at his lips as if he were expecting his ward to say such a thing.

"I see. So does this mean you'll go home then?"

Yuichiro shook her head as she made a salute. "No, sir! I wish to stay and be of use in our fight against the vampires! Please allow me to, sir!"

Shinya was silent but shot Guren a look with same subtle smile as if imploring him to indulge Yuichiro and overlook her mishap.

Not like the man needed any persuasion and finally answered Yuichiro. "Very well, Miss Hyakuya, you and your squad may come, so fall in line. Just know that you _will_ be disciplined later; do you understand?"

Palming the hilt of her sword, Yuichiro held her ground without flinching at the not-so-subtle warning.

"Yes, sir."

After securing his ward's cooperation, Guren nodded before continuing his speech.

"Listen up, everyone! During this mission, I will have ZERO tolerance for anyone who doesn't follow orders or regulations. Nor will I tolerate anyone screwing around or treating it as a game because it is not. I will be upfront in that many of us will likely die but this is a cause worth risking our lives for! I don't want us just coming home alive: I want us coming home victorious!"

As he finished his announcement, Guren shook his fist in the air and pulled it closer to his chest, the gesture exciting loud cheers from the rest of soldiers gathered around the red sports car that served as his stage.

After the cheering had died down, Shigure stepped forward with a notepad in her hands as she prepared to make an announcement of her own.

"Now I will pass out orders for each individual squad; leaders, when you hear your name called, please step forward with your squad starting with Makoto Narumi Squad!"

"Yes ma'am!" a youthful male voice answered. Out of the corner of her eye, Yuichiro saw a young man with a brown top-knot answered Shigure's summons. ***4***

While waiting for her own squad to be called, Shinoa quietly walked up to Yuichiro and gently tapped her on the shoulder from behind to get her attention.

Without turning around, Yuichiro asked "What?"

"Umm…I'm sorry, it was my fault you were reprimanded. I know Guren isn't going to go easy on you just because you're his ward," she apologized.

Yuichiro sighed. "Forget about, Shinoa. What's done is done; we're just going to have to deal with it and move on."

The purple-haired girl sighed but said nothing; what else could she say?

Knowing that there was nothing they could do about the earful Yuichiro would inevitably get from Guren, Shinoa remained silent and watched with her subordinate as Shigure called forth one squad after the other to issue them their orders. The only squads she had not called for yet were Shinoa's and Satoshi's squads.

"Special Private, Yuichiro Hyakuya, come forward!"

Instead of being embarrassed at being called out individually rather than with her squad, Yuichiro merely flipped her ponytail over her shoulder, stuck her pert nose in the air, and obeyed Shigure's command.

"Yes ma'am!" the ravenette answered as she tried her best to ignore the stares the other soldiers were sending her way, including Makoto Narumi. Yuichiro had no doubt they were wondering why she had a boy's name instead of a girl's but tried not to dwell on it because she knew there were more important things that require her attention.

Shigure said nothing but made a gesture for Yuichiro to follow. The ravenette nodded and was about to leave with the older woman when she felt Shinoa tap her on the shoulder again.

"Wait, Yuu! It's not right for me to let you take the heat for this since it _was_ my fault we're all late so I should go with you and explain to your guardian."

"Yeah, we're also at fault for going along with Shinoa so it's only fair we come along too…" Kimizuki added, concern for Yuichiro apparent in his eyes.

Satoshi snorted. "Well, I'm glad you're taking at least _that_ much responsibility but regardless of how it happened, we're _all_ late so we should apologize to the lieutenant colonel together and hopefully he won't be too harsh with Miss Hyakuya."

Turning, Yuichiro saw all of her comrades in both squads silently nod their agreement but she shook her head.

"No. Guren has called specifically for me, so I'm the only one who should answer. Besides, this won't be the first time I'm lectured by him so I'll live. Just wait for me out here."

Before any of the others could protest, Yuichiro quickly left them and followed Shigure who was courteous enough to give her a moment with them.

As Yuichiro followed Shigure into an abandoned building, the older woman suddenly spoke up.

"The lieutenant colonel is rather displeased with you, Yuichiro. I hope you have a good explanation for him."

"I understand; I'll do my best. By the way, it's good to see you again, Shigure."

Shigure's expression softened, even as she remained with her back to Yuichiro.

"Likewise, Yuu…" she replied softly.

The older woman said nothing more, Yuichiro didn't expect her to, and remained silent for the rest of their walk until they arrived at a dimly-lit room where Guren and the rest of his squad awaited them.

As soon as they were inside, Shigure stepped aside to make room for Yuichiro who was following close behind.

"She's here, sir," the raven-haired woman said simply.

Bracing herself for another one of Guren's boring lectures, Yuichiro made a brief sigh and stepped forward. She had not seen or spoken to her guardian much since her "interview" with Kureto and hoped that she could have avoided him for a bit longer but supposed it couldn't be helped if Guren wanted to speak to her now.

"Hey, Yuu. How're you holding up?" the lieutenant colonel asked in a good-natured tone, confusing his ward for it was not quite what she had expected after seeing him explode on Shinoa earlier.

Yuichiro raised a brow. "What? Why are you casually asking me that when you're about to 'discipline' me as you told everyone else out there?"

Guren smiled as he sat on the edge of the desk behind him and crossed his arms.

"But it wasn't really your fault that you were late, wasn't it? So why did you lie and apologize for your squad and Satoshi's?"

Yuichiro shifted slightly on her feet, a habit she picked up whenever she got nervous about something.

"I don't know what you mean, sir."

"What I mean is that I know you, Yuichiro; you're a very fast learner so, even if you _had_ to be taught how to drive on the way here, it still wouldn't have been enough to make everyone late. So what really happened? Did Shinoa ditch you on the highway for an hour or two?"

"I…"

Yuichiro hesitated to deny Guren's assertion which they both knew was right on the mark. And as much as Yuichiro wanted to cover for Shinoa and the others, she still knew better than to lie to her guardian's face, especially in front of his squad, the people who helped him to raise her from childhood.

Knowing that he had his ward right where he wanted her, Guren gave a smug grin.

"So I'm right, aren't I? Knowing Shinoa, it was probably _her_ fault that you're all late."

Irritated that her mentor had seen right through her, Yuichiro glared at him. "If you already know this, than why did you even call me here, _sir?"_ she sneered.

"I see that your tongue remains as sharp as ever, Yuu," Guren chided. "But we're not home now; we're getting ready to go on a dangerous mission, so try showing some respect to your superiors, ok?"

Before Yuichiro could answer, everyone heard Shinya suddenly burst into laughter as he playfully poked Guren in the back.

"Haha, that sure sounds funny coming from Mr. 'Do as I say, not as I do!' I swear, you're such a gold-mine when it comes to hypocrisy, Guren! Do you have any idea how much I smooth things out after officer meetings because of your loose tongue?" ***5***

Now it was Guren's turn to be irritated and spun around to glare at his best friend.

"Get lost, Shinya! You're being a nuisance!" he growled as he attempted to swat the other man's hand away while trying to hide his embarrassment at being called out on his hypocrisy, especially in front of Yuichiro.

Sayuri rolled her eyes and sighed at her superiors' antics before approaching Yuichiro and giving her a motherly kiss on the cheek like she did when the younger girl was a child.

"Don't mind them, Yuu," she said kindly. "I'm sure what Guren means is that he's proud of the fact that you're willing to take all the blame to protect your comrades."

"She's right," Mito added after shooting Guren and Shinya an annoyed look for their childish bickering. "We're all proud of you and glad that you're doing well."

Yuichiro smiled as she squeezed the hand Mito placed on her shoulder. After leaving for the Shibuya guard, the ravenette had grown a little taller until she was finally tall enough to stare Mito in the eye while standing.

"Thank you…I've missed you all too, even though I've managed to make some new friends."

"So are they starting to feel like 'family' to you, little Yuichiro?" Goshi teased. "I remember it wasn't too long ago when the only thing on your mind was exterminating vampires."

Yuichiro blushed. "I guess…"

Even Shigure had to smile in amusement at the younger girl's answer. As much as Yuichiro has grown, some things about her stayed the same and Shigure honestly wouldn't have it any other way.

"You guess?" she asked. "Well, I suppose that _is_ a good start…"

The ravenette rolled her eyes and turned back to her mentor who had finally managed to get Shinya off his back for once.

"Anyway, you still haven't answered my question, Guren: if you've haven't called me here to be 'disciplined', then why am I here?"

"Why? Simple: to teach Shinoa a lesson. That brat obviously doesn't take me seriously so I'm going to have to drill it into her head whose boss." Turning to Goshi, Guren gave his next order:

"Start the illusion. And make it good."

Before Yuichiro could ask Guren what he meant, the blond man grinned as he put his pipe to his mouth.

"Don't worry, sir. I've got something really special in mind for the kid," he said before taking a drag and blowing out a cloud of purple smoke past Yuichiro.

Puzzled, the ravenette turned around to see what Goshi was talking about and was shocked when she saw an illusion of herself tied to a stake…

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. The magazine Goshi finds at the rest stop is described as a 'dirty magazine' in the manga which confuses me because in the west, 'dirty' is implied to be nude/pornographic magazines but since Goshi mentions that the women in his magazine wear bikinis, I chose the** _ **Sports Illustrated**_ **swimsuit edition.**

 **2\. In the manga, Guren hits Goshi for comedic purposes whenever he makes dirty jokes but I've decided to leave that out in my AU.**

 **3\. In canon, Kimizuki is actually not much of a gentleman, especially since most girls he interacts with ticks him off but in my AU, he is quite fond of fem!Yuu and tries to impress her by acting like a gentleman when he knows she's watching.**

 **4\. A top-knot is long hair tied into a pony-tail or bun and arranged on the top or near the top of the head as Makoto Narumi wears.**

 **5\. "Do as I say, not as I do" basically means "take my advice even though I am acting contrary to it". In canon, Guren is a known hypocrite among his friends, especially Shinya since he orders male!Yuu to respect him as a superior while dissing his own higher-ups, including General Hiragi.**


	14. The True Fear of Loss: Part II

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This fic is an alternate retelling of the Nagoya arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta reader, ResidentialPsycho, for her help in making this fic possible. I would also like to thank my co-writer of my Final Fantasy Tactics fic, Falchion1984 for his suggestions for the fighting scenes. On another note, I apologize for the delay because I really struggled with this chapter which I'm going to have to split in two because of the length. The good news is that the next chapter won't be long in coming so please look forward to it. Enjoy and please review!**

 **Chapter 14: The True Fear of Loss, Part II**

"Shinoa, Yuichiro's been in there for a while. I'm starting to get a little worried. Do you think she's alright?" Yoichi asked Shinoa as everyone from their squad and Satoshi's stood outside the building while waiting for the other girl to return.

"She's probably being lectured on punctuality by Guren again," the purple-haired girl answered. "But don't worry, Yoichi, this isn't the first time. I'm sure she'll be all right."

"Maybe not, but this _is_ the first time Yuichiro- as well as the rest of us- have been late to a _very_ important mission because of _your_ pranks, Miss Hiragi," Satoshi pointed out. "Do you really think the lieutenant colonel will be so forgiving?"

"Knowing him, likely not, especially if our tardiness hampers the mission's chances of success." Kimizuki answered wryly, recalling with a sour face how badly Guren reacted when he spotted both squads trying to blend in with the other soldiers before calling them out. Few things frightened the pink-haired boy but seeing their superior's displeased expression actually made him shudder.

Even Mitsuba, who was always at odds with her raven-haired squad mate, started to worry,

Though she was damned if she were ever going to admit it.

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm tired for waiting for Yuichiro, so why don't we _all_ go inside and apologize with her already?" the blonde girl suggested impatiently with her arms crossed, hoping the others wouldn't figure that she really wanted to see if Yuichiro was all right.

"I think going in without the lieutenant colonel's permission would be pushing it, especially since we all showed up to the gathering half an hour late," Daisuke said quietly. That comment got him a pointed glare from the Harada twins, so he turned his head away nervously.

Takeshi, who knew better than to say such an insensitive thing this time, tried a different approach.

"Well, everyone already knows we're late, so I don't think it can get any worse if we decide to check up on Miss Hyakuya right now. Her guardian may even go a bit easier on her if we all apologize so what do you say, everyone?"

Forgetting their anger towards Daisuke, the Harada twins quickly agreed, their concern for Yuichiro apparent in their eyes.

"I think that's a great idea, Takeshi!" Risa said, feeling grateful that even he could come up with helpful suggestions every now and then, before turning to her twin. "Right, Riku?"

"Yes, I think we should go in now," Riku answered. "We've already waited long enough right, Satoshi? Shinoa?"

As she said this, Riku turned to the two squad leaders since she knew that, in the end, it was their decision to make.

Satoshi sighed and turned to Shinoa. "Well, Miss Hiragi? I know what you allow your squad to do is your choice but, personally, I think you owe it to your subordinate to straighten things out and not let her take the heat for _your_ mistake."

Shinoa rolled her eyes. "Ok, ok. I get it. That's what I intended to do from the start. I can't believe all of you seriously think I would-"

But before the purple-haired girl could say another word, everyone suddenly heard an ear-piercing female scream coming from inside the building.

"Shit, what was that?!" Kimizuki cried as he unsheathed his twin swords, concern and worry for Yuichiro starting to wash over him. ***1***

Instead of answering (because she had no idea), Shinoa quickly summoned her demon scythe while urging everyone else to arm themselves.

"Quick, everyone! Get your weapons out! We're going in!"

"Right, do as Shinoa says!" Satoshi ordered his squad as he unsheathed Krad and made a gesture for them to follow him and Shinoa's squad into the building.

 **SSSSSS**

As soon as they were inside, both squads quickly made their way up an out-of-commission escalator to the second floor where the screams were coming from. When they finally reached the room where they thought Yuichiro would be, everyone was shocked to see her dressed in dirty white rags while tied to a tall wooden stake like the ones used in Medieval Europe for burning witches, with a huge bonfire right at her feet.

Finally allowing herself to panic, Mitsuba tightened her grip on her demon axe and made a plea to her squad leader to do something.

"Shinoa, we gotta get Yuu out of there before she gets burned alive!"

Instead of panicking like the rest of her comrades, Shinoa merely scowled (a rarity for her), before running up to "Yuichiro" without any heed for the fire surrounding them and swinging her scythe at the other girl, effectively slicing her in half.

Or rather, an illusion of her. ***2***

"What was that?" Yoichi asked breathlessly as the wispy, purple smoke from the fire finally dissipated and revealed the real Yuichiro standing next to her guardian while the rest of his squad stood in the background with their arms crossed.

With the exception of Yuichiro herself, Guren and his squad looked upon the teenagers with disappointment as well as a bit of contempt. Even Shinya regarded Shinoa rather coldly for her prank on Yuichiro. One thing was for sure: nobody in the veteran squad was impressed that she saw through the illusion.

"Looks like it's some kind of illusion spell," Kimizuki answered as he lowered his twin swords slightly.

Before anyone could say anything else, Shinoa shot Guren a dirty look. "What kind of sick joke is this?" she demanded.

Yuichiro felt bad for making everyone worry about her, even though the illusion was clearly her mentor's idea. She wanted to apologize but Guren lifted the blade of his sword to her throat, slightly away from her skin, to keep Yuichiro quiet before answering.

"A joke, Shinoa? What you pulled on Yuichiro on the way here was a joke. This illusion was to teach you a lesson. Up until now, you were lucky never to have lost a comrade from not taking your orders seriously. But that likely won't be the case anymore now that we're about to go up against a group of vampire nobles, and I think this was quite necessary to get it through your thick skull that even one mistake on your part can easily get your squad killed. Not only that, you could also end up dragging _other_ squads down with you," Guren said harshly before nodding in Satoshi's direction.

Although he was just as upset as Guren and Yuichiro with the prank Shinoa pulled that landed them into this situation in the first place, Satoshi began to feel sorry for her now that she was being reprimanded by their superior in front of everyone. But, even so, he could not open his mouth to utter a word in Shinoa's defense since he knew there was nothing he could say to refute Guren's claim.

Knowing that the older man was absolutely right, Shinoa relented and lowered her scythe slightly.

"I understand, but you still went too far with that sick illusion!" the purple-haired girl accused, trying her best to keep her voice low and even.

"Too far? No, not far enough, I'm afraid. It looks like you still don't get it, brat. If you truly knew what it was like to fear losing someone important to you, you wouldn't be pulling stupid pranks like ditching Yuichiro on the highway for an hour or two." ***3***

Upon seeing the startled look on Shinoa's face, Guren gave a smug grin.

"What, you didn't think I would figure out what really happened and why you all arrived late? I know both you and Yuichiro like the back of my hand, Shinoa. But enough of that. What I want to know is what you would do if you and your squad were faced with a huge threat now? Would you be able to lead them to safety, if not victory?"

"I…"

Not giving Shinoa a chance to finish, Guren went on. "Oh, I know! Why don't I give you a little test to see if your teamwork has really improved?"

"A test?"

"Yes. My squad against yours in a mock battle. I know this may sound a bit unfair since we _are_ more experienced than you, but I'm feeling a bit generous today. So, I'll allow Satoshi and his squad to assist yours. Ten of you against six of us should even out the odds a bit more and, if you and Satoshi have trained your squads effectively in teamwork, you should have nothing to worry about, Shinoa."

The purple-haired girl disliked the idea of taking on her superior and his squad knowing how skilled they were. She knew what the older man proposed was nothing more than a public hazing to humiliate both her and Satoshi's squads since the veteran squad's skill and experience exceeded theirs by far, so much that any chance of victory they had would be very slim. But Shinoa also knew that Guren wasn't really giving her or Satoshi a choice in the matter.

After all, the entire Moon Demon Company viewed both squads as tardy rookies and held them in contempt at this point.

Sensing his fellow squad leader's uneasiness, Satoshi gently placed a hand on Shinoa's shoulder and gave her a quiet nod, as if letting her know that he had her back despite what happened, something Shinoa was secretly grateful for, even if she could not voice her gratitude at the moment.

Turning to Guren, the blue-haired boy said, "We understand, sir. When do we begin?"

In answer, the older man smiled and drew his demon sword from his sheath before pointing it at them.

"You have exactly two minutes before we come after you, so I suggest you get moving. All of you." The commander of the Moon Demon Company said nothing more but his eyes seem to sparkle with mischief as if saying:

 _Go now! Start running!_

Not wanting to waste any valuable time by questioning their superior further, Satoshi squeezed Shinoa's shoulder and nodded his head towards the exit. Taking the hint, the purple-haired girl followed his lead gave the order for her squad to depart.

And without Yuichiro.

After both squads were gone, Guren lowered his blade from Yuichiro's throat. Like Satoshi, the ravenette pitied Shinoa for being chewed out by Guren and did not hesitate to tell him what she thought of his so-called punishment for her squad leader.

"Did you have to embarrass Shinoa in front of everyone like that, Guren? She may be an annoying pain-in-the-ass sometimes, but we both know she's trying very hard to be a good squad leader."

Guren smirked at Yuichiro as he lowered his sword to his side without sheathing it.

"Well, aren't you full of surprises, Yuu?" he teased. "I wasn't expecting to see you come to Shinoa's defense after that little stunt she pulled on you earlier. But if you're that concerned for your squad leader, then why don't you help her win by showing us what you're made of?"

Yuichiro threw her head up into the air as she unsheathed Asuramaru and proceeded to walk towards the exit.

"Hmph!" she scoffed. "As if I would just stand idly by and let my squad take on yours without me!"

"I knew you'd say that, Yuu. Now go and make me proud, brat!"

Without turning around, Yuichiro grinned at the older man's praise before running out the door to join her squad.

After Yuichiro was gone, Shinya broke into a laugh again. "My, how little Yuu has grown! This is the boldest I've seen her yet! It looks like you might have to start taking your ward a bit more seriously now, Guren!"

Guren snorted. "I don't doubt that she's good, Shinya. Especially since I've trained her myself and so did you. But we both know it takes more than technical skill to be a good soldier. And it's not Yuu I'm actually worried about but those good-for-nothing squad mates of hers, including Shinoa."

"What exactly is it about them that worries you so, Guren?" Mito asked curiously. "Their inexperience or inability to work as a team?"

"I'm guessing it's a bit of both," Shinya answered. "This shouldn't come as a surprise since we were once like them not too long ago. Everyone has to start from somewhere."

"Maybe. But I have to admit that we had the luxury of time to sharpen our skills while they don't. That's why I'm having them do this. Both Shinoa and Satoshi's squads need to get their act together and quick if they want to survive this mission. They may not see it this way, but we're actually doing them a favor by testing their skills now."

"Oh, I'm sure at least _Yuichiro_ realizes that, my lord," Goshi said with a touch of humor. "She's always been quick to catch on to your ideas, Guren."

"True. Now let's hope the rest of those brats catch on just as quickly because their lives may very well depend on it."

"Well, since they're rookies, this shouldn't take too long," Mito said coolly as she materialized her black demon gauntlets with their glowing green orbs centered on the back of her hands and tugged on them slightly with her fingers to make sure they fitted snugly.

Such a gesture was more out of habit rather than necessity on Mito's part since her demon, Kagutsuchi, made sure they always fitted her perfectly.

Shinya chuckled. "I wouldn't take them too lightly, Mito. At least three of those rookies from Shinoa's squad and another three from Satoshi's are Black Demon wielders, including Hiwatari himself." ***4***

Mito was startled at the revelation. "What? Why didn't anyone tell me about this?" she demanded as she shot Guren and Shinya a disapproving glare for keeping such a secret from her.

"Well, it's not like you ever asked, Mito," Guren answered with a roll of his eyes before giving his crimson-haired squad mate a mischievous smile. "What's the matter?" he teased. "Are you scared?"

Mito, as usual, took the bait. "Of a bunch of sniveling little kids? Never!" she scoffed as she tossed her long red ponytail over her shoulder, another habit Yuichiro had subconsciously picked up from her. Like Mito, the younger girl also tossed her ponytail whenever she got riled, especially by Guren himself.

Sayuri and Shigure, who had been listening to the entire conversation in silence, shot each other a brief glance. Though neither woman voiced their thoughts, they both knew Guren was secretly worried and concerned for the rookies under his command, especially Yuichiro.

 **SSSSSS**

Once they were back outside, everyone in Shinoa and Satoshi's squads took a moment to catch their breaths before discussing what they should do when Guren and his squad came for them.

"All right, everyone, let's do this!" Satoshi exclaimed as he clapped a fist to his open palm in dogged determination despite the chances of victory clearly being in favor of their opponents.

"Right on!" Daisuke agreed with excitement. "We'll just have to win this and show 'em how awesome we are!"

Kimizuki, ever the critic, or as he preferred to call himself, realist, scoffed at Daisuke's annoying optimism.

"You make it sound so easy, Niwa. Have you forgotten that we're up against the leader of the MDC and his squad who happens to be the elite of the Demon Army?" the pink-haired boy reprimanded.

"I'm sure he's fully aware of that, Kimizuki," Takeshi answered in Daisuke's defense, "but being pessimistic about it doesn't help."

Yoichi raised a hand. "Um, sorry, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with Kimizuki here. I mean, we give them detailed reports of our exploits all the time; they know everything we can do, right?"

"Right," Mitsuba replied before turning to Yuichiro, who had finally caught up to them just now. "I'm sure Guren's squad knows everything about _you_ in particular since they were the ones who trained you in combat from childhood, right, Yuu?"

Yuichiro shook her head as she drew Asuramaru from its sheath. "No, not everything. Despite what you may think, I _am_ capable of coming up with my own strategies, not just imitating what I was taught, Mitsu."

"Good," Shinoa said, "because we're going to need some of those strategies if we want to stand a chance against Guren's squad."

The Harada twins gave her a puzzled look. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't coming up with strategies the job of the squad leader?" Risa asked curiously.

"Normally, it is," Satoshi answered. "But against Guren's squad, we're going to need all the bright ideas we can get."

Riku snapped her fingers as a thought suddenly came to her. "That's right!" she exclaimed as she turned to Yuichiro. "Since you _were_ raised and trained by the lieutenant colonel as well as his squad, shouldn't you be familiar with their fighting styles, Yuu?" the brunette girl asked hopefully.

Yuichiro sighed. "Yes, but I only know what they taught me, and I'm sure they didn't teach me _everything_ they knew."

"Even so, you must know more about their abilities than the rest of us," Shinoa persisted. "Please, Yuu, anything you can tell us will help."

Yuichiro closed her eyes for a moment in silence before answering. "I know that Shinya is a sniper- and he's the best I've ever seen. His demon weapon manifests as a black rifle that can fire projectiles resembling white tigers made of light." ***5***

"Then as a long-ranged fighter, it would be best if we let Yoichi and Takeshi handle him since they are also snipers," Shinoa suggested.

Excited by the prospect of taking on another sniper of Shinya's caliber, Takeshi's eyes lit up.

"Great idea, Miss Hiragi!" he exclaimed, his brown eyes glittering with anticipation.

Unfortunately, Yoichi did not share the other archer's enthusiasm. "Um, you do realize that Shinya is also a Black Demon wielder and a more experienced sniper than we are, right, Takeshi?"

"You worry too much, Saotome," Takeshi said as he summoned his demon crossbow and pretended to take aim with it. "The major general may be good, but he's still just one man. If we work together, we should be able to take him down with no problems."

"It's good that you're keeping a positive attitude, but don't underestimate my big brother, Mr. Saehara," Shinoa warned before turning to Daisuke and the Harada twins. "My scythe's ability is to detect anything that comes within the attack radius of it. That means that anything Yoichi and Takeshi fail to shoot, I can take down."

"And my axe can spawn multiple demons to attack our opponents. However, they aren't that strong individually so they're best used as decoys" Mitsuba confessed grimly.

"So what will you two do?" Risa asked.

"Mitsuba and I will take on Colonel Mito Jujo while you and Riku handle Lieutenants Sayuri Hanayori and Shigure Yukimi with Daisuke's help," Shinoa answered. "Colonel Jujo is tough but the lieutenants are no push-overs either, so be careful." ***6***

"Ok, we will," Riku assured before turning to Satoshi as if seeking his approval for going along with Shinoa's plan before consulting him since it was _his_ orders they were supposed to be following.

To Shinoa's relief, her fellow squad leader was of the same mind as herself.

"It's all right. I agree with Miss Hiragi's plan. However, it's not those three ladies I'm most worried about but rather the lieutenant colonel himself," Satoshi said.

"Right," Shinoa said. "Since Guren is a master sword fighter, only you, Yuichiro, and Kimizuki would be able to take him on in close-ranged combat. No matter what, you can't let him break past you or all of us in the middle to rear ranks will be finished."

"I don't doubt that," Kimizuki said coolly. "And even with the three of us working together, the lieutenant colonel will be a force to reckon with, so we better not take him lightly."

"I have never taken Guren lightly," Yuichiro replied before frowning slightly. "Though I can't say the reverse is true."

"But you've been raised and trained by him since childhood, so surely you can let us in on any weaknesses of his? I'm sure he must have at least one," Satoshi persisted.

Yuichiro brought a hand to her face, resting her chin on top of a knuckle as she thought over Satoshi's request for a moment.

"Well, if you were to press me, I'd say one of Guren's biggest weaknesses is that he tends to be a bit over-confident and looks down on rookies a bit. I sometimes hear him say he thinks of us as unruly and undisciplined children that 'need to be kept in line' or something like that."

"Well, that wouldn't be too far from the truth," Daisuke admitted, "but we're going to need any break we can get. What about that blond guy with the goatee? What can he do?"

"You mean Norito Goshi? Well, do you remember that illusion of Yuichiro we saw when we entered the building? That was his doing. Despite his robust appearance, Goshi isn't much of a fighter; his specialty is creating powerful life-like illusions to fool enemy soldiers into thinking they're outnumbered or creating decoys of his squad, so their opponents waste time and energy attacking the wrong targets. In doing so, the doubles would create an opening for Guren's squad to attack and give them the advantage. It wouldn't surprise me if he plans to do the latter us since both of our squads together outnumber his ten to six," Shinoa answered.

"So how will we know which ones are real and which are the illusions, then?" Riku demanded. "You should know since you saw through that illusion of Yuichiro right away."

Shinoa was about to answer when she suddenly saw Risa point over her shoulder with one of her war fans.

"No time to explain; they're coming!" she exclaimed.

Both squads cursed under their breaths as they finally turned around to face their older and more experienced opponents who casually waltzed out of the building to take the fight outside. ***7***

As if trying to humor the teens, Guren stood slightly ahead of his own squad for a moment and gave them a smug, even if teasing grin as he drew his dark demon blade from its sheath and pointed it at them. The rest of Guren's squad remained silent but gave the rookies the same intimidating stare.

"Hey, kids, it's showtime! You ready?" the older man called in a sing-song tone.

Unfortunately, Shinoa and Satoshi's squads were not the only ones who noticed. All around them, soldiers from the other squads had begun to gather around them in a large circle.

"Hey, what's going on?" a young raven-haired man asked his squad leader. "Is this some kind of training exercise for the rookies? The lieutenant colonel even drew his blade; it's been forever since I got to see him fight so he must be serious with these kids!"

Narumi smirked. "Since when has he _not_ been serious, Shusaku? I'm guessing he has a rookie hazing in mind to teach them a lesson for showing up late; this should be interesting to watch."

The brunette squad leader made no attempt to keep his voice down to avoid being heard and with her sharp hearing, Yuichiro heard it easily. But she resisted the temptation to shoot Narumi a dirty look since she knew it would be unwise to take her eyes off Guren now that the fight was about to begin.

Lifting her demon scythe, Shinoa spun it in a circular motion while instructing the two squads on their first move. Since Satoshi was going to join Yuichiro and Kimizuki in trying to hold off Guren, it left her in charge of everyone else in the middle-to-rear ranks.

"Everyone, contain your battle in this circumference around me!" she ordered. "Make sure you are not fragmented or forced out of this circle, or it will be all over for us!"

Yoichi sweat-dropped as he gripped his demon bow tightly. "Say, this isn't going to be a fight to the death, is it?" he asked nervously.

"Of course not, Yoi. Guren just wants to mess with us. And if these other guys in the background want a show, then let's give them one!" Yuichiro answered before withdrawing Asuramaru and proceeding to charge straight at Guren like a raging bull.

This sudden move finally prompted everyone involved in the fight to action as well as taking both Satoshi and Kimizuki by surprise.

"What the hell, Yuu!? You're supposed to wait for us!" Satoshi cried as he gripped Krad and attempted to catch up to the ravenette with Kimizuki following closely behind.

"Remember, stay together!" Shinoa ordered. "We must hold our lines and protect each other!"

"Oh, I think you'll get split up real quick," Guren replied with a smirk before bringing his sword to meet Yuichiro's when she came within striking distance of him.

 _And so it's begun…_ thought Shinya, who stood in the back of his squad ahead of Goshi, as he raised his demon rifle and took aim at the younger snipers Shinoa had ordered to fight him.

Mitsuba, who quickly caught onto the major general's intent, tried to warn Yoichi and Takeshi.

"Look out! Something's coming!" she cried.

Before either archer could react, Shinya quickly pulled the trigger and fired a single demonic projectile resembling a white tiger in the direction of the younger squads.

And the resulting blast was nearly overwhelming, making the teens tremble from its shockwave alone.

"See? Your formation is already falling apart," Guren taunted. "And we've only just begun."

Yuichiro gritted her teeth. "I think you should be paying more attention to what's right in front of you instead of looking over my shoulder and talking to someone else, Guren!"

After living in his home for nearly four years, Yuichiro knew that her guardian was good at multi-tasking, but this was getting ridiculous.

"Worried for your teammates, Yuu?" Guren teased as he easily held off Satoshi and Kimizuki, who had finally caught up to Yuichiro, with his sword as well as a few talismans up his sleeve despite the fact that they were fighting three-on-one. "Well, you have no choice but to trust them since you can't do everything by yourself. I thought that your time in the MDC has already taught you this."

"Shut. Your. Trap!" the ravenette snarled as she did her best not to take the bait Guren had cleverly laid out for her. But, despite his teasing, she knew he was right. While Yuichiro could follow her squad leader's orders of guarding the front lines to the best of her abilities, she still had to rely on her allies in Shinoa and Satoshi's squads to watch her back and each other's as well.

If she didn't know that turning her back to Guren would be a huge mistake, Yuichiro would have turned around for a moment just to see how the rest of her comrades were doing. But even without looking, she can only imagine that they weren't very well-off, despite Daisuke's attempt at a pep talk earlier.

Having seen everyone from all three squads in action before, the ravenette knew that Guren's squad had at least a decade more of experience than Shinoa and Satoshi's.

And unlike Guren's squad, neither of the younger squads had the luxury of a master illusionist like Norito Goshi.

As Shinoa predicted, the blond man used his demon pipe to create doubles of his squad members, including Guren himself, to confuse the teens by sending some purple smoke their way to impair their vision for the moment it took him to create the illusions. Were he not standing behind Shinya, who was protecting him, Yoichi and Takeshi would have made Goshi their first target to prevent him from creating the doubles of Guren's squad in the first place. ***8***

After the smoke cleared, Yoichi and Takeshi drew their bows and attempted to take Shinya down knowing that they had to get past him to stop Goshi, before he can fire again. For a moment, they thought they had succeeded when one of Takeshi's arrows struck Shinya head on. But both boys soon found themselves crushed with disappointment when they saw the major general disappear in puff of smoke, proving beyond a doubt that he was only an illusion before the real Shinya stepped forward and fired at them.

To their dismay (and fright) Yoichi and Takeshi were taken by surprise once more when they discovered that Goshi could even produce illusions of his squad mates' weapons and their effects that also looked and felt very real.

As a result, the two young archers panicked and ended up firing blind, missing their target.

Meanwhile, Shinoa and Mitsuba were struggling to hold Mito off. Despite not having a standard demon weapon, the older crimson-haired woman fought like a Fury, using her entire body as a weapon in addition to her fists as she easily dodged the axe and scythe swings the younger girls were sending her way. Mito was also unafraid to use underhanded tricks like feints, which was launching one attack to sucker her foe into moving or acting in such a way that sets them up for a second attack.

Like Guren (and Yuichiro), Mito was more than capable of fighting multiple opponents, especially with the demon gauntlets that enhanced her speed and strength. As an experienced martial artist skilled in several fighting styles, her legs and feet were just as lethal as her fists, despite her less-than-robust appearance. And unlike Shinoa and Mitsuba, who had to take more care guarding their blind spots with their longer weapons, Mito could easily strike more rapidly while guarding her own blind spots with little trouble.

While keeping her eyes on Mito, Shinoa silently called for her demon, Shikama Doji, to tell her how Daisuke and the Harada twins were doing while the crimson-haired woman attempted to kick Mitsuba's axe out of her hands.

" _Shi-chan, how are Daisuke and the twins faring? Better than Mi-chan and myself, I hope?"_

" _Honestly? Not by much; it looks like they've got quite a struggle on their hands…"_ the demon answered grimly.

Shinoa frowned. Though she could not see it herself, the purple-haired girl knew her demon wouldn't lie to her, and Daisuke and the Harada twins were indeed struggling with Sayuri and Shigure as well as their doubles. Since the illusions looked completely identical to their real counterparts and the three never got a chance to hear Shinoa's answer on how to tell them apart, they were forced to use trial and error by fighting them all.

And, as Shinoa predicted, such a tactic proved costly in terms of time and exerted energy.

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. In canon, Kimizuki does not panic easily except when his sister is in danger. For my AU, he's more prone to panicking when he thinks fem!Yuu is in danger as well because he's also very fond of her.**

 **2\. In the anime version, the illusion of male!Yuu was hanging over a fire by a rope when Shinoa's squad arrived. I didn't like the manga version where he appears nude with a stack of brinks on his lap and since Guren is protective of fem!Yuu's modesty and chastity, he wouldn't ask Goshi to produce such an illusion of her.**

 **3\. In canon, it's not clear how Guren know it wasn't really male!Yuu's fault that his squad showed up late for the meeting but I assumed it was because he knew male!Yuu was not the kind of person to play pranks like Shinoa. For my AU, Guren figures out the truth because he knew both fem!Yuu and Shinoa very well.**

 **4\. The Black Demon wielders of Shinoa's squad are fem!Yuu, Yoichi, and Kimizuki while the ones from Satoshi's squad are Satoshi, Daisuke, and Takeshi. Shinoa, Mitsuba, Risa, and Riku wield manifestation-type demons.**

 **5\. In canon, male!Yuu is familiar with Shinya's weapon and attack because he witnesses them in his interview with Kureto. Fem!Yuu had been aware of Shinya's abilities since she was twelve because he was the one who taught her how shoot and handle firearms.**

 **6\. In canon, Sayuri and Shigure do not participate in the mock battle between Guren's squad and Shinoa's, only Guren, Shinya, and Mito does. But since my AU also includes Satoshi's squad, all members of Guren's squad participate to even the odds a bit more.**

 **7\. In the anime version, the fight takes place inside the building where Shinoa's squad finds male!Yuu and slowly makes its way outside. But since there are three squads involved in my AU, the whole fight takes place outside due to the space needed to accommodate all of them.**

 **8\. As someone who provides back-up support for his squad, I assume that a member of Guren's squad would have to stay near and protect Goshi from being cut down while he takes time to produce the illusions needed to fool their enemies. Since I have never seen Goshi actually fight in the manga or anime, I believe he would need careful protection when engaging in battle.**


	15. His Favorite Sword Dancer

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This fic is an alternate version of the Nagoya arc with events different from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta reader, ResidentialPsycho as well as Falchion1984, for their help in making this fic possible. The Guren/fem!Yuu illustration is by Rindartist of Twitter/Tumblr and can also be found on my DeviantArt page under Elly3981. Enjoy and please review!**

 **Chapter 15: His Favorite Sword Dancer**

"Don't be intimidated by the lieutenants, girls, I've got your back!" Daisuke called to the Harada twins. Despite the fact that they were fighting four-on-three, Risa and Riku lacked the combat experience of Sayuri and Shigure.

As Risa and Riku attacked Guren's retainers, Daisuke supported them as best her could with his whip. The two Shigures, one real and the other a decoy, were launching volleys of wires to catch the twins in veritable spider webs. These filaments gave way with satisfying ease, clearing the twins' path. With her sai, ***1*** Riku took on Sayuri in a duel while Risa used her war fans to block and deflect Shigure's kunai at every opportunity.

Even though he knew at least two of the women and their weapons were illusions, Daisuke had difficulty telling them apart, so he was forced to call upon his demon contractor for assistance.

" _I need your help, Dark. Which one of these ladies are the illusions, and which are real?"_ the red-haired boy asked while ignoring the sweat that was starting to form on his brow because he knew panicking was unlikely to help the twins he was trying to assist.

" _Beats me, Dai… We demons don't know everything…"_ the phantom thief answered with a shrug.

" _Are you serious? Then what the hell did I make a contract with you for?!"_ Daisuke demanded in frustration.

" _Tsk, fine. Shall I try guessing for you, then?"_

Daisuke groaned but relented because for some reason, he trusted his demon's intuition a bit more than his own since he has never been a lucky guesser; the test scores Daisuke got when he didn't study proved that. The fate of the Harada twins may very well depend on who he turned his attack on.

" _Ok, do it!"_ the red-haired boy answered.

Unlike Guren, Mito, and Yuichiro, Risa and Riku did not have as much experience fighting multiple attackers but still put forth their best efforts into fighting the older women as well as their doubles. Using her war fans, Risa succeeded in knocking some of Shigure's kunai away, but at least two of them managed to slip past her defense with one grazing her upper right arm and another her left lower thigh.

Although not serious, the sudden stinging pain from the cuts distracted Risa for a moment, which was long enough for Shigure to send a wire to wrap itself around her right foot and pull the brunette girl's leg out from under her.

Crying out in shock, Risa collapsed to the ground on her back, leaving her almost completely vulnerable if she did not have her fans to shield herself. Riku heard her twin's cry and tried to end her duel with Sayuri quickly, so she could help Risa up. However, the older woman would not allow her that luxury.

"It would be unwise for you to take your eyes off the enemy, my dear…" Sayuri warned as she brought her twin blades to meet Riku's sai blow after blow as the brunette girl was forced to depend on Daisuke to watch her back and fend off Sayuri's double.

Knowing better than to just lie there and wait for her twin and Daisuke to rescue her, Risa quickly used the sharp blade of one of her fans to slice the wire around her foot before launching herself to her feet again while doing her best to ignore the pain in her leg and foot. The last thing Risa Harada wanted was to be a burden to anyone else. She had sworn this months earlier, after Yuichiro had rescued her from the rogue vampire who'd broken out of a research lab near their school.

"Heh, don't count me out yet!" the brunette girl yelled defiantly to her opponent before attacking again. Whether the woman before her was the real Sayuri Hanayori or an illusion made no difference; she had to be eliminated.

Thinking quickly, Daisuke drew back his whip before lashing out to strike at what he believed was the illusion of Sayuri based on Dark's guess. Fortunately, the phantom's thief was correct and Daisuke's whip coiled around the older woman, pinning her arms to her side and leaving her completely defenseless. Seizing the opportunity her squad mate provided, Risa made an "X" strike with her fans at the fake Sayuri and the honey-colored haired woman vanished in a puff of smoke.

However, there was still the double of Shigure to deal with.

"Forget your twin, girl. Worry about yourself!" the older raven-haired woman said without emotion as she reached inside her pocket and pulled out three more kunai to throw at Riku, making her wonder just how many of those little daggers Shigure could possibly hold in her uniform jacket. Riku knew it would be more difficult to fend off the projectiles with a thin pair of sai than it would be with a pair of wide war fans like Risa's, but that didn't stop her from trying to protect her twin with everything she had.

"Sorry, but I don't abandon my own no matter what, lady!" she shot back.

To that, Shigure's (the real one) face broke into a smile, albeit a very small one, but it was there. ***2***

"That's the spirit, Miss Harada. You'll need it!"

Riku grinned before swatting Shigure's kunai away and turning around to fight Sayuri once more, putting her trust in Daisuke to handle the older raven-haired woman.

Although they were clearly not having it easy, Shinoa sensed through Shikama Doji that Daisuke and the Harada twins were able to at least somewhat hold their own against Sayuri and Shigure.

Unfortunately, she could not say the same of herself and Mitsuba as they squared off against Mito and her double. As if fighting together against the crimson-haired woman wasn't hard enough, Shinoa and Mitsuba found themselves fighting what appeared to be two of her, one each.

And the illusion fought just as well as the real thing.

It was all the girls could do to just hold onto their weapons while trying in vain to take down Mito and her double. Mitsuba screamed and fell to the ground clutching her side when Mito delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to her ribs, nearly cracking them.

Gritting her teeth, the blonde girl thought: _Shit!_ _Illusion or not, that sure felt real!_

"Mi-chan!" Shinoa cried as she used her demon scythe to take another swipe at Mito and missing as the older woman skittered to the side to evade the blow with contemptuous ease.

Now that Mitsuba was down, Shinoa found herself fighting both the real and fake Mito. Even though she _could_ tell which one was the illusion and which was the real thing, fending them both off, let alone searching for an opening to attack, was next to impossible.

Shinoa could only hope that her other squad members were faring better.

"Fire again, Saehara!" Yoichi cried as he took another aim at Shinya while hoping his fellow archer was doing the same.

Not wanting Yoichi to see how frightened he was despite his excitement at taking on the veteran sniper earlier, Takeshi obeyed. Although neither archer had time to voice their thoughts, they both knew that their best bet at taking down the major general was to shoot his weapon out of his hands and attack him before he could re-summon it again since Shinya's demon resided in his mind, not the rifle itself.

And such a thing was much easier said than done.

As a master sniper, Shinya easily saw through their plan. "Did you think I wouldn't figure it out, boys? That's the oldest trick in the book!" he taunted with a grin before calling for his demon.

" _It's time we give these boys a spanking, Byakkomaru!"_

The tiger demon snorted. _"Do I look like a baby-sitter to you, Shinya? Don't insult me by calling on my power for such trivial things."_

Shinya laughed. _"Seriously, Byakkomaru, you're no fun. Makes me wonder how we even ended up in a contract from the start! But fine, I don't need your help to discipline these boys."_

Not waiting for Byakkomaru to reply, Shinya fired again. Although his own demon weapon was really no better or stronger than that of the younger snipers', he had much more experience using it and few things escaped his sharp, keen eyes.

The major general also had a few tricks up his sleeve. Taking aim at Yoichi and Takeshi, Shinya once again pulled the trigger and as he expected, the boys braced themselves for his attack by readying their bows with the intent of using their demon arrows to dissipate his tiger bullets.

But to their surprise, nothing came out of Shinya's rifle when he pulled the trigger and the boys found themselves confused until they sensed something coming up from behind them. And by the time Yoichi and Takeshi figured out what was _really_ going on, it was too late and they found themselves hit with a weaker version of Shinya's demonic projectiles from behind, knocking them both over.

"Well, that was quick…" Shinya said humorously as he walked over and looked down at the younger boys sprawled on the ground on their stomachs. Knowing that they were still conscious and listening, the major general continued, "You boys are lucky I was holding back. If I had used Byakkomaru to his full power, you'd both be smoking piles of ash now."

Yoichi and Takeshi groaned in pain, but neither uttered a word of protest. Shinya could not help but smile at their efforts even though they lost.

"There, there, don't look so down, boys," he said kindly, giving them the same sympathetic look that he gave Yuichiro when he helped her to stand after knocking her down in front of Kureto and Aoi to convince them that he did not know her. "You both have potential, and skill is something that can only come with time and experience."

"Thanks, that makes us feel _so_ much better, sir…" Takeshi groaned as he rolled onto his back and grimaced in pain with Yoichi following suit. Even if Shinya was right, it didn't change the fact that being struck with his tiger bullets hurt like hell.

Shinya said nothing, and his smile vanished as he shifted his gaze towards Guren, who was still fighting with Yuichiro, Satoshi, and Kimizuki. As the major general expected, his best friend had no problem taking on the three younger sword fighters all at once. And, knowing the man, Shinya bet Guren could probably even do it with a hand tied behind his back.

"You children are pathetic!" Guren taunted as he forced Kimizuki back before turning his attention to Yuichiro and Satoshi again.

The pink-haired boy groaned in frustration at how he could not even land a single blow on Guren despite wielding two swords instead of one as well as having the assistance of Yuichiro and Satoshi; the older man's blade seemed to move faster than his eyes could see, always moving _just_ enough to block his attacks. And even if the pink-haired boy _could_ spot an opening in Guren's seemingly impenetrable defense, he wasn't fast enough to exploit them. Seeing the sweat forming on Satoshi's brow, Kimizuki could tell that the other boy was of the same mind regarding their opponent.

 _Shit, the lieutenant colonel is really something!_ Satoshi thought. _Not only that, he can run his mouth like a motor while fighting too! Now, I know who Miss Hyakuya gets her sharp tongue from!_

Reading Satoshi's thoughts, Krad chuckled. _"It looks like you're in a tight spot again, Master Satoshi. Shall I offer my assistance now? Just let me possess you for a bit and we should be able to take down that arrogant bastard easily!"_

Satoshi snorted. _"No, thanks, Krad. I have Yuichiro and Kimizuki, so I won't be needing your help this time around."_

" _Suit yourself, master. But from the looks of it, even the three of you won't be enough to beat him. From what I can see, that man is way out of your league, so don't come crying to me when he humiliates you in front of the entire MDC!"_

" _Like you would give a shit if he does!"_

" _You wound me, Master Satoshi. I'm not as heartless as you would think."_ ***3***

" _Fuck off, Krad!"_ the blue-haired boy snarled inwardly. The blond demon was lying, and they both knew it. But Satoshi also knew that he had more important things to worry about at the moment than Krad's sincerity.

Unfortunately, it was just as Krad had predicted. Despite being every bit as good with the sword as Yuichiro, Satoshi did not last much longer than Kimizuki. After the pink-haired boy had been taken out of the fight, Satoshi found himself literally bowled over after he tried to block a powerful side swipe from Guren. The force behind the older man's blow was overwhelming; it was as if he had the strength of a vampire, even without calling for his demon.

"Now it's just you and me, Yuichiro!" Guren gloated with a grin as if he were exhilarated at weeding out the other two swordsmen from the fight, so he could duel with his ward alone.

And as good as Yuichiro was, Guren knew the only reason she was able to last longer than the boys were because she was more intimately familiar with his fighting style as well as underhanded tricks, tricks as suave as pulling out magical talismans from his pocket or dirty little moves like tripping his opponent with his long legs if they came within his reach.

Guren also wasn't above making verbal taunts or provocative facial expressions capable of inciting even vampires who were assumed to have no emotions.

Trying not to let the sight of her mentor's shit-eating grin rile her into losing her focus, Yuichiro gritted her teeth and was about to make a barb to wipe it off his face when she suddenly noticed something a little off about her opponent.

It was that he actually had no scent.

As soon as the ravenette realized that, she called for her demon contractor.

" _Asuramaru, destroy that illusion!"_

In answer, the boy demon chuckled. _"Very good, Yuu! I'm glad you've finally figured it out, but don't let your guard down because it's not over yet!"_

Yuichiro said nothing but quickly sliced the illusion of her mentor in half by activating the power of her demon sword before quickly turning around just in time to meet the blade of the real Guren with her own.

"Oh, so you've finally figured it out, eh, Yuichiro?" the older man teased with a smirk as they locked swords. "Took you long enough!"

The ravenette glared at her mentor. It didn't take long for her to figure out which one of him was the illusion because Guren's double did not have the scent of what she knew to be his favorite cologne: Gravity, by Coty. ***4***

"You underestimate me! Even now, you still take my sword fighting skills far too lightly, _sir!"_ she snapped.

To that, Guren laughed in amusement as he pressed his blade a little harder against Yuichiro's and bent over slightly to look her in the eye.

"On the contrary, my dear. I take your sword-fighting skills very seriously. It is _you_ I take lightly!"

"Why, you pompous ass!" Yuichiro shrieked furiously as she summoned all her strength to push her arrogant opponent back, obviously not caring that she had just addressed her guardian as well as superior officer in a less-than respectful manner in front of everyone.

Asides from Guren's taunts, Yuichiro had begun to notice cheering as well as whispers coming from the soldiers in the background, something she had not noticed before until Satoshi and Kimizuki were taken out of the picture, leaving her to fend against Guren alone. Yuichiro knew the other soldiers were impressed because they probably did not expect her to last longer than her more robust male sword-fighting comrades. Despite the Demon Army being equal in its treatment of male and female soldiers, the women still often found themselves having to work harder to prove themselves and Yuichiro was no exception.

But unknown to them, Yuichiro could read and predict Guren's moves well enough to meet his blade blow for blow, as well as evade attacks that finally forced Satoshi and Kimizuki out of the fight. For as long as Yuichiro had known him, Guren favored a more direct and aggressive approach to combat, focusing more on offense than defense; his style was to attack non-stop so his opponent wouldn't have any chance to counter. Most would call Guren's approach risky, but it worked for him considering that he had the size and strength to back it up. ***5***

Yuichiro, on the other hand, formed her style on a balance of offensive and defensive fighting, often relying on the agility her smaller and lighter form allowed her. Like Guren, Yuichiro also preferred to attack non-stop and strike down her enemies before they could get close enough to hurt her. But when that wasn't possible because she was facing someone larger and stronger than herself, Yuichiro turned to defensive fighting, waiting for her opponent to make a mistake before counter-attacking. At times, she could even create an opening if an opportunity presented itself.

"Wow, that girl is really something if she can hold her own against the lieutenant colonel!" Makoto Narumi, exclaimed in admiration as he watched Guren and Yuu with his arms crossed. "And for a moment there, I thought that sword of hers was just for show, but it looks like she actually knows how to use it!"

While Narumi was in complete awe of Yuichiro's fighting abilities, the raven-haired man standing next to him had additional thoughts.

"Not only that, she's got a nice pair of legs too!" he exclaimed with a grin while letting his eyes roam the perfect figure of the cute little green-eyed spitfire dueling with the commander of the Moon Demon Company.

Yuichiro moved in such a graceful, feminine manner that it almost looked like she was dancing around Guren. When faced with attacks she knew she could not block or deflect, she would spin out of his reach on tiptoe, while strikes that had bowled over Satoshi and Kimizuki whirled past her.

Not only was Shusaku Iwasaki admiring Yuichiro's sword-fighting skills, but also her shapely legs as she used them to side-step Guren's attacks, spinning to build up momentum and put as much force as she can into her thrusts.

That, and her luscious bum ***6*** whenever she performed a move such as a feint followed by her tucking into a roll to strike at Guren's flank, that made her tiny skirt fly up just enough for him to catch a glimpse of it.

"Shh! Watch your mouth, Shusaku! They'll hear you!" Narumi hissed while elbowing the other man lightly in the ribs as he struggled to keep a grin from forming on his own face. As much as Narumi might have agreed with his friend's sentiment, the young sergeant had no desire to be on the receiving end of Guren's displeasure for speaking about his ward in such a way.

Yuichiro blushed furiously as she did her best not to let her embarrassment show at Shusaku Iwasaki's lecherous remark. Though she and Guren had sparred many times in the past as she was growing up, the ravenette was not used to dueling with her guardian in front of an audience and, if she didn't know better, Yuichiro would think that Guren was actually enjoying all this.

"That was adorable, Yuu! I thought I taught you better than that!" the older man teased, repeating the words he said to her the day he brought her to the waterfall grounds to train. ***7***

And as if his words weren't irritating enough when it was just the two of them then, the bastard just had to say it again, this time in front of a crowd of soldiers, just to rile Yuichiro.

But unlike before, she had the luxury of making her guardian pay for that barb since they were not standing on the slippery, uneven ground of the waterfall like they did that day.

Knowing that Yuichiro was going to kick him for what he just said, Guren shifted his left arm downward slightly until a magical talisman dropped from inside his sleeve and attempted to slap it to her forehead.

"Watch out, Yuu! It's an explosion ward!" Shinoa cried out from behind her. "I'll disenchant it!"

Drawing back her scythe, Shinoa attempted to disengage from Mito to do just that when she felt the weight of someone jumping on the flat of her weapon's blade and holding it down. Turning, Shinoa saw her crimson-haired opponent interrupting her attempt to assist Yuichiro.

"Not a chance, girl," Mito sneered before tossing the unarmed Mitsuba, whom she had been holding by the scruff her neck, to the cold, hard ground. From the look of things, Mito had defeated the blonde girl before picking her up like a hunter would to a prey animal they had just taken down.

Not like Yuichiro needed her squad leader's assistance, at least not for this duel. She knew exactly what Guren was up to. Though the older man had specifically instructed his squad not to teach her how to use magical talismans before he thought she was ready, Shinya finally gave in and showed Yuichiro how they worked after she had sweet-talked him into it.

Moving quickly, the ravenette lashed out with her sword and quickly sliced the cursed piece of paper in half before it could touch her skin. But she wasn't through with Guren yet; Yuichiro was determined to get back at him for embarrassing her in front of the entire MDC.

"Now to end this farce!" the ravenette shrieked as she drew back her sword with both hands and finally made a mad dash for her mentor, who had backed off after failing to get his talisman on her.

"Whoa, are you serious?" Guren cried in mock fear while feigning an expression of terror to match before his face broke out in a mischievous grin.

"Just kidding! I knew you were going to do that!"

Moving aside slightly, the lieutenant colonel finally called for his best friend and trump card in his duel against Yuichiro.

"She's all yours, Shinya!" he called as he made a gesture with his arm.

Aiming his demon rifle at Yuichiro, the major general smirked. "Now, let's see how well you've been paying attention to your sniping lessons, my dear…" he said softly before firing.

As he predicted, the younger girl saw through him right away and, without stopping, reached for the semi-automatic she always kept at her side before aiming it at him and calling for her demon once more.

" _Asuramaru, enchant these bullets,_ " Yuichiro ordered.

The demon obeyed and lent his power to his mistress's back-up weapon, a clever strategy to use against an opponent that was out of range though it came at the price of her sword being weakened briefly until the bullets struck their target. ***8***

When Yuichiro finally fired, the bullets from her semi-automatic took on the shape of large bats of green light to meet and dissipate Shinya's white tiger projectiles. And instead of being shocked or annoyed, the major general actually smiled in amusement.

"Excellent, Yuu! Just what I expect of my favorite sniping student!" he exclaimed proudly.

"Unfortunately, it's not going to be enough," Guren said coldly as he quickly took over the confrontation with Yuichiro.

The ravenette grinned at her mentor before finally doing something even he did not expect: instead of putting her semi-automatic back in its holster at her side, Yuichiro suddenly chose to throw it straight at Guren. Like the shoe she threw in his face the time he opened her bedroom door without knocking and saw her in her lingerie, Yuichiro aimed for the spot between Guren's eyes. ***9***

After all, if her mentor didn't mind fighting dirty or using underhanded tricks, why should she?

Not wanting to get stuck with another unbecoming bruise on his forehead from the pistol, especially if Mahiru-no-Yo decided to prank him again by not healing it right away, Guren lifted his sword to cut it in half. In that split second of distraction on his part, Yuichiro finally closed the distance between them with her sword drawn.

Ignoring the pieces of the destroyed firearm that were now flying into his face, Guren spun around and brought his blade to the back of Yuichiro's neck but not before she managed to bring her blade to the back of his as well.

Which now landed them in an awkward position that had more than a few soldiers in their audience whistling.

With his right leg outstretched and hooked slightly behind hers as well as his right shoulder touching her left, Guren found himself standing chest-to-chest with Yuichiro. And, as if that wasn't enough, their faces were barely an inch apart, their lips looking like they were going to touch, at least to their audience

Yuichiro felt her face growing as red as a tomato even as she tried to maintain a neutral expression and keep Asuramaru firmly in her grip. And though Guren was better at controlling his emotions, Yuichiro still caught the faint blush creeping on his cheeks as if he was every bit as embarrassed as she was; he just happened to be better at hiding it.

For a moment, the pair remained at a standstill until they heard Shinya clearing his throat in the background accompanied by some snickering.

"You lovebirds done yet?" he teased.

Were Yuichiro's blade not so dangerously close to his neck, Guren would have spun around and told Shinya to shut his trap. Instead, he chose the safer alternative and lowered his weapon, prompting his ward to do the same. Since neither of them managed to gain the upper hand, Guren finally acknowledged their duel ending in a draw to save them both further embarrassment.

Sheathing his sword, Guren attempted to change the subject. "Very good, Yuichiro. You've improved a lot. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same of your comrades."

Knowing that it was exactly as she feared, the ravenette turned around and saw that Guren was right; the rest of her squad mates have been soundly defeated. The sight of both squads helping each other to their feet while Guren's squad remained with hardly a scratch confirmed it.

Turning to Shinoa and Satoshi, Guren said, "I'm disappointed in both of you. With six Black Demon users between your squads and this is the best you can do? The vampire nobles are far stronger than us, and they won't hold back. Out of all of you, only Yuichiro is still standing, so to speak. However, she alone cannot make up for the rest of your incompetence. If you brats don't get your act together and learn to work like a _real_ team, you won't last five seconds against the nobles. Do you understand?"

Though the older man's words were harsh, everyone knew he was right. And to be honest, Yuichiro was glad to have something, anything, to make them forget what happened between Guren and herself only moments before.

Turning away from Guren, Yuichiro sheathed Asuramaru without a word and stood there for a few moments in silence as if contemplating something. Her actions did not go unnoticed by her mentor, and he called out to her.

"What's the matter, Yuu?"

Crossing her arms, the ravenette threw her ponytail over her shoulder and shot him a blank stare before answering, "Oh, nothing, sir. I'm just thinking how much easier this fight could have been if I had _a bit_ more assistance from my squad mates."

Guren smiled before approaching his young ward. "So what are you trying to say, Yuu?" he pressed, already knowing the answer.

Yuichiro fought down another blush before answering, "That I _suppose_ I can't do everything by myself, no matter how good a fighter I am," she confessed, not wanting to admit that she _did_ like being close to Guren, even in that awkward moment.

The older man laughed softly as he bent over slightly and pressed a gentle kiss to the side of Yuichiro's mouth. ***10***

"Good girl. I'm glad you finally get it after all this time!" he teased.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" the younger girl demanded, blushing furiously as she turned her head away from Guren. "We're in public here! I thought you said you can't stand PDA!" ***11***

"Hmm… maybe. But I'm in a good mood now so I'll make an exception for today."

"Hmph! Never mind that, _sir._ Don't you have a mission to lead now?" Yuichiro asked, trying to change the subject.

Guren nodded before becoming serious again. "You're right, Yuu, I do." Turning to Makoto Narumi, the young brunette sergeant who was eyeballing Yuichiro with his subordinate earlier, he said, "Despite what you've seen, these newbies _do_ have a lot of potential. I'm putting you in charge of Shinoa and Satoshi's squads for this mission."

Narumi was startled at the sudden order. Managing his own squad was already enough work and the last thing he needed was to be put in charge of two additional squads of newbies.

"Sir, please reconsider your decision!" he protested. "These kids are clearly not ready for real battle; if we take them along, they'll only drag us down!"

Guren's eyes glittered dangerously at the younger man who dared to question his orders.

"Oh? Well, if I heard right, you thought my ward was an impressive fighter and your subordinate thought she had a nice pair of legs, so I imagined you'd be thrilled to have Yuichiro on your team. The rest of these kids also have the same fighting potential and with a bit of guidance, they'll be just as useful as Yuichiro herself."

Narumi gulped nervously at the other man's words and silently cursed himself (and Shusuku) for opening their big mouths while they watched Guren and Yuichiro duel; it turned out the two had sharper ears than he thought. But now it was too late, and Narumi knew he could not refuse his superior's orders as the head of the Ichinose Clan as well as the Moon Demon Company.

"Yes, sir," Narumi said as he refrained from sighing in frustration and disappointment.

Now that he knew he had Narumi's cooperation, Guren made a gesture for Yuu as well as the rest of Shinoa and Satoshi's squads to approach.

"Good! Everyone, this is Sergeant Makoto Narumi and his squad, Rika Inoue, Shusaku Iwasaki, Taro Kagiyama, and Yayoi Endo. They're a fine team and will train all of you well, provided that you follow instructions. That will be all."

Like Narumi himself, Yuichiro wasn't thrilled to be teamed up with his squad and hoped that she could at least reason with Guren as his ward but, before the ravenette could protest, Guren turned to Shigure and gave his next order.

"Shigure, I want you to rearrange the team roisters and join Shinoa and Satoshi's squads with Narumi's."

"Yes, sir."

Now that her mentor's decision was final, Yuichiro knew the discussion was over and had to refrain from groaning in disappointment as she watched Guren walk away to give orders to the rest of the MDC.

After Guren had left and was out of earshot, Yuichiro looked up and saw Narumi quietly approach her with a solemn look in his brown eyes. The young sergeant looked as if he wanted to say something but hesitated as if he wasn't sure how to say it.

"Yes, what is it?" Yuichiro asked.

After another moment of silence, Narumi sighed and finally said, "I'm sorry."

Yuichiro stared at him in confusion. "For what?" she asked.

"For what Shusuku and I said. Though we truly meant it as praise, I realize it was totally inappropriate and want to apologize if we offended you and your guardian."

Yuichiro looked down slightly and shook her head. "Forget it," she said. "We've got more important things to worry about now. And since we are going to be working together, I think it's in both of our best interests to get along."

And with that, the ravenette offered her hand to the older man. After everything she had been through, Yuichiro wasn't going to exert effort holding a grudge against someone for a few less-than-appropriate comments.

Relieved that the younger girl was willing to let his and Shusuku's comments slide, Narumi took her hand and gave it a firm shake.

"I agree," he said. "Although working with two squads of newbies wasn't something I had planned on, we're all going to have to make the best of it from now on. I trust you, but please do everything you can to make sure your other squad mates keep up, ok? That's all I ask of you."

"Of course, Narumi-san."

"Thank you."

After accepting Narumi's apology, Yuichiro watched him and his squad leave in silence. When the ravenette thought she was finally alone again, she heard another voice coming from behind her.

"I'm sorry too, Yuu…" Shinoa said quietly.

Turning around, Yuichiro found her squad leader as well as comrades from both squads gathered around them.

"You've already apologized once, Shinoa. There's no need to do so again," Yuichiro said wearily, tired of hearing constant apologies all day.

The purple-haired girl shook her head. "No, I do. I actually owe everyone here an apology; if it wasn't for me, we wouldn't have had to take on Guren's squad and be trounced by them in front of the entire MDC."

Satoshi snorted but his sour expression soon lightened and he gave the other squad leader a good-natured smile.

"Normally, I'd agree with you, Miss Hiragi, but being hazed by our higher-ups may not be such a bad thing after all. We'll just take it as a learning experience to improve our team-work."

"I think so, too," Kimizuki agreed. "What else can we do?"

"Not much…" Daisuke answered grimly as he remembered how Shigure managed to tear his whip out of his hands with her kunai and cords.

"At least nobody was seriously hurt," Yoichi added, trying to cheer everyone up.

Takeshi snorted and crossed his arms. "Speak for yourself, Saotome! I seriously thought the major general was going to kill us with those tiger blasts."

The Harada twins giggled. "You've always been one for dramatizing, Takeshi," Risa pointed out.

"Oh? And how did you two fare against the lieutenants?" Mitsuba asked as she rubbed the back of her neck with her hands where Mito's rough grip on her still ached. Had the crimson-haired woman not held back when she grabbed her, Mito could have easily snapped Mitsuba's neck like a dried twig.

"Like any member of Guren's squad, they were tough, but I did not sense any true malice in their attacks," Riku answered. "And at least they were nice enough to back off when they saw we've had enough; Lieutenant Hanayori said she believed we can learn what we need to without unnecessary pain and suffering."

"That sounds just like her," Yuichiro said while remembering how much she appreciated Sayuri's teaching methods and preferred them over Guren's. "And I'm sure she's logical enough to realize that we'd all end up useless if we got hurt too badly."

"True. If only Colonel Jujo shared that sentiment," Mitsuba said grimly before turning back to Shinoa, her expression softening. "Look, I know you felt bad about what happened, but it wasn't just you. I was screwing around too. But that's all past now. If we want to help this mission succeed, we're still going to need our squad leader."

Shinoa was silent for a moment before shaking her head sadly. "I know. But I don't think I'm cut out for the job after all."

"Hey, don't say that, Shinoa. Just because you made one mistake doesn't mean you're an incompetent squad leader. It just means you need to learn from that mistake and move on," Yuichiro said kindly, feeling sympathetic for the other girl.

And, knowing her, Yuichiro wasn't surprised to see that Shinoa didn't stay depressed for long.

"You're right! We'll take this as a learning experience and come back better than ever!"

Glad that she was finally able to lift Shinoa's spirits again, Yuichiro took the opportunity to look up at the sky as her mind wandered back to the one friend she still needed to find to make her little family complete.

 _Just you wait, Mika. I'm coming for you…_

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. The sai is a traditional piercing meleeweapon used in Okinawa. The basic form of the weapon is that of a pointed, prong shaped metal baton, with two curved prongs (** _ **yoku**_ **) projecting from the handle (** _ **tsuka**_ **). There** **are many different types of sai with varying prongs for** **trapping and blocking. Often used in pairs, they are still referred to as "sai" whether singular or plural.**

 **2\. In canon, Shigure is the most silent of Guren's squad. She prefers to let Sayuri do most of the talking when they're in social situations together and almost never talks while fighting, only obeying Guren's orders. But for my AU, I've decided to make her a bit more talkative to keep things interesting.**

 **3\. In the anime, DN Angel, Krad is very cold towards Satoshi even though he pretends to care about him. In my AU, Krad is the least trustworthy of all the Black Demon series even though he likes to pretend otherwise.**

 **4\. In canon, Goshi's illusions look identical to the person they imitate and can talk and fight like them. But the one thing Goshi's illusions cannot imitate is scent and those with a sharp sense of smell or abilities similar to Shinoa's can tell them apart. In my AU, fem!Yuu was able to detect Guren's illusion because it lacked the scene of his favorite cologne, Gravity, which is a classic scent by Coty.**

 **5\. From my observation of Guren in the manga and anime, he is a very aggressive fighter and seems to favor all-out, direct attacks against his opponents. His size and strength as well as sword-fighting skills affords him this luxury. Male!Yuu also seems to like fighting like Guren but since fem!Yuu is a bit smaller and weaker, she has to balance her fighting style between offensive and defensive to adapt to opponents of different size and strength.**

 **6.** " **Bum" is a British slang for the buttocks and I've often heard the word "Luscious" which means sexually enticing, accompanying it.**

 **7\. Refer to "Who She is Within", chapter 17.**

 **8\. The concept of a demon being able to enchant other weapons their wielder may carry with their power is something I made up entirely. It may or may not be possible in canon.**

 **9\. Refer to "Who She is Within", chapter 19.**

 **10\. In canon, Guren shows physical affection to male!Yuu by ruffling his hair. For fem!Yuu, he kisses the side of her mouth to symbolize his semi-romantic as well as brotherly/fatherly affection for her all in one.**

 **11\. PDA means "public display of affection".**


	16. The Pain of Bloodthirst

**Disclaimer:** ** **I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This fic is an alternate version of the Nagoya Arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta reader, ResidentialPsycho, for her help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!****

 ** **Chapter 16: The Pain of Bloodthirst****

 ** **November 20, 2020****

 ** **A run-down neighborhood somewhere in the Nagoya prefecture****

Mikaela took a deep breath as he tried his best to ignore the dryness in his throat while he walked down the empty street. He was in a run-down neighborhood with rows of abandoned houses to either side. *****1***** Before leaving Sanguinem, Mika, Lacus, and Rene were given orders by Queen Krul to capture any humans they found on the way to Nagoya and now here he was.

For some reason, the surroundings reminded Mika of when he was still living in Sanguinem with Yuichiro, Akane, and the rest of their little family. In the underground city where the only way to tell night from day was by the dimming of the lights, Mika had managed to time his trips to Ferid's mansion and back carefully with a pocket watch his then-benefactor had given him. Even now, Mikaela still carried it on him to ensure that he drank a vial of Krul's blood three to four times a day in a timely manner to control his thirst.

Considering how much vampires craved blood, most would drink any and every chance they got. And if Mikaela weren't so desperate to hold onto what was left of his humanity before he found Yuichiro, he might have given in and joined them as well. However, every time the blond was tempted to do so, he would recall how he and his orphanage sister would cringe every time they had their blood drawn at the "blood farms" back in Sanguinem. In Mikaela's case, he was also trading his blood illegally for favors to a silver-haired vampire lord who would later become the bane of his existence.

And thanks to Ferid Bathory as well as his own naiveté and foolishness, Mikaela Hyakuya ended up becoming the very thing he (and Yuichiro) hated most: a vampire. Not only that, Mika's mistake also ended up costing his other orphanage brothers and sisters their lives through no fault of their own.

Knowing this, Mikaela had expected Yuichiro to reject him right after she discovered what he had become. Part of Mika even hoped that she would destroy him just so that he wouldn't have to live with the pain of her rejection. But as luck would have it, not only did his sister accept him as he was, she was actually __relieved__ to find him alive and well—at least as well as someone in his position could be.

Unfortunately, their reunion was short-lived, considering that it happened right in the middle of a raging battle in Shinjuku. Mika's plan to take back his sister was even further complicated by the fact that she was now bound to and under the influence of another man, Guren Ichinose, just as Mika himself was bound to Krul Tepes as her servant as well as adopted son. *****2*****

Even long before seeing him in Shinjuku, the blond knew exactly who Lieutenant Colonel Guren Ichinose was. Both Ferid and Krul had warned Mikaela that the older raven-haired man was likely to be his biggest obstacle to finding and saving Yuichiro. And as much as he wanted to take his sister away from the person he believed to be most dangerous to her well-being, Mika was still wise enough to know that he wouldn't be able to change Yuu's mind about Guren overnight.

After all, she had lived under the older man's influence for nearly five years after they were separated while believing Mikaela was dead the entire time.

Even so, Mika refused to let that be a deterrent to his desire to save his sister. The fact that Yuichiro still wore and treasured the gold heart-shaped locket he had given her before they were forced to part gave Mikaela hope that his own influence on her was still strong. With enough luck and persistence on his part, the blond was sure he would eventually be able to turn Yuichiro away from her guardian.

As Mikaela pondered about how he was going to convince Yuichiro to leave Guren and the Demon Army behind, he suddenly heard screams of terror erupting from several young children coming from the intersection to his right.

Out of the corner of his eye, the blond saw a little girl about eight years of age trip over a piece of rubble on the street as she desperately tried to get away from her pursuer, a vampire with a mop of shoulder-length purple hair tied into a half-bun that Mika knew all too well.

Catching up to the child with ease, Lacus grabbed her from behind before she even hit the ground. Lifting the little girl up until she was eye-level with him, the purple-haired vampire gave her a cheeky grin that almost made Mika's stomach turn just by looking at it.

"Nooo! Please, don't hurt me!" the girl cried with tears in her eyes as she struggled in his grip like a fish on a hook.

"Hold still, brat," Lacus said in a crass tone. "We don't kill livestock; I just want a little sip of your blood, is all."

Not giving the child a chance to protest, Lacus was about to sink his fangs into her tender neck before he suddenly felt her small body being snatched out of his grip. For a moment, the purple-haired vampire was confused until he looked behind him and saw Mikaela standing a few yards away with the frightened girl in his arms.

Glaring at his blond companion, Lacus demanded an explanation for spoiling his fun (and snack).

"Hey, what the hell, Mika? I said I wasn't going to kill the brat! I just wanted a sip of her blood!"

Mikaela shot him a dirty look. "And you expect me to believe that?" he asked coldly. "We both know it's never just a 'little sip' with you, Lacus. If I hadn't stopped you, you would have sucked her dry."

"And what if I had?" Lacus challenged, baring his fangs. "Why do you care? Unless…"

Mika raised a brow when he saw the other vampire's displeased expression slowly change to one of amusement, slightly confusing him.

"Unless what, Lacus? Do you suddenly find something amusing about all this?" Mika demanded as he put the girl back down and quietly shoved her behind his back like he did with the first girl he shielded from his purple-haired companion back in Shibuya after saving her from a Horseman of John.

"Oh, nothing… except now that I've gotten a better look at that kid, I notice she has black hair and green eyes, just like your beloved Yuu-chan! Now I get it! You have a penchant for saving human kids, particularly girls who look like her!"

At the other vampire's remark, Mika's eyes widened and he gasped softly. Now that he thought about it, the first girl he protected from Lacus also had black hair and green eyes, just like Yuichiro.

And now that he knew, there was no doubt in Mika's mind that Lacus was going to start chasing and biting any girl or young woman resembling Yuu just to rile him.

Not wanting to give Lacus the satisfaction of knowing he was absolutely right, Mika tried changing the subject.

"Never mind that, Lacus. Don't you have something more important to do?"

Before the other vampire could answer, both Mika and Lacus heard a familiar, reprimanding voice cut in to prevent yet another argument between them.

"That's enough, you two," said Rene sternly as he quietly walked up to them.

From the look of things, the older raven-haired vampire had been aware of what had just happened between Mika and Lacus but chose not to intervene until they looked like they were going to argue. Such a pacifistic stance was just like Rene Simms, who disliked exerting any unnecessary effort into keeping the peace among his fellow guards.

As Rene had far more self-control than Lacus and was therefore unlikely to snatch a drink from any of the children while on duty, Mika trusted him to protect the child. He gently persuaded the little girl he had previously been shielding to head to Rene's side.

"It's all right, child. He'll take you to join the others," Mika said gently.

Despite being a vampire now himself, the blond still had a knack for making human children comfortable enough to trust and obey him just as he used to with the other Hyakuya orphans under his protection, including Yuichiro herself.

Wanting to get out of this awkward and potentially dangerous situation as soon as possible, the little girl obeyed and quickly walked over to Rene while trying to avoid Lacus's hungry gaze.

Taking the child's hand, Rene was about to lead her away when he noticed that Mikaela looked a bit paler than he usually did. The tiny beads of sweat forming on Mika's brow as well as look of discomfort on his face didn't escape Rene's notice either.

"Are you all right, Mikaela? Do you need to drink?" he asked, more out of concern that the blond would end up useless if he collapsed from hunger then for his actual well-being.

Mikaela himself was aware of this but shook his head in denial. "No, I'm fine for the moment. I also have enough… stock to last a while longer," he insisted.

Lacus folded his arms and gave his blond companion a skeptical look. "Seriously? You've been drinking nothing but the queen's blood for years. Don't bother denying it because it's also been an open secret in Sanguinem for years- your pretty blue eyes are a dead giveaway. *****3***** And no disrespect to Her Majesty, but don't you ever get tired of it? I, for one, like a little variety in my glass, so to speak. If I were you, I'd take the chance to drink right now since there's no guarantee the nobles in Nagoya will allow us to do so freely once we get there; they __do__ have different laws for their domains, in case you didn't know."

Trying not to let his irritation at the purple-haired vampire show on his face, Mika shot him a look of cold indifference and said, "Well, I'm not you, Lacus. You need not concern yourself with my tastes. And right now, it doesn't include the blood of humans."

Lacus rolled his eyes, obviously not buying Mika's claim but having no time to argue.

"Fine," he said. "Since you aren't going to drink, how about making yourself useful and help us load these kids onto the choppers? We're supposed to present them to the nobles in Nagoya as gifts."

Mika sighed and nodded. Although he didn't appreciate Lacus's condescending tone, he chose to conserve his precious energy rather than retort as usual when the other vampire grated on his nerves. Wanting an excuse to get away from Lacus and finally ease his thirst at the same time, the blond finally decided that he would take a minute to have a drink of Krul's blood after all.

"I will," he said sharply before turning his back to Lacus and Rene. "Just go on without me for now. I'll catch up in a minute. Now, if you will excuse me…"

Without waiting for his companions to answer or give their approval, Mika quickly made his way behind a nearby house before taking out a vial of his dame's precious blood, the sweet nectar that sustained the life she had given him after Ferid had ended his first.

Mikaela had lied, and he knew it. Honestly speaking, he truly __did__ crave human blood, and the urge to consume it came closer to overpowering him every day

Every time he saw other vampire soldiers drink freely from the humans they had cut down in battle, Mika found himself wanting to join them, to give into his feral hunger. But every time he felt himself about to cave, he thought of Yuichiro and remembered how her face would twist in disgust whenever she and Mika had spied the vampire guards back in Sanguinem nipping and sneaking drinks from the livestock kids when they thought no one was looking.

Mikaela couldn't bear the thought of Yuichiro looking at him like that, like a soulless monster that only knew how to kill. So, he always ended up denying his cravings to the point of pain.

But now, his craving for human blood was becoming a __need__ just as much as a __desire__. Krul's warning echoed in his mind once again as Mikaela pried open the lid of one of his few remaining vials and poured the contents into his mouth. He had long since given up on trying to sate his hunger with food and water like he did when he had first woken up as a newborn vampire; it didn't take Mika long to discover that he no longer had a human digestive system when he soon found himself throwing up anything and everything he had attempted to eat and drink besides blood, even water. *****4*****

To his surprise, neither Krul nor Ferid had tried to dissuade Mikaela from ingesting what they knew he wasn't supposed to those first few months after he was changed. He often heard them say it was a normal phase for fledgling vampires who were not yet ready to accept their new existence and dietary requirements until they had no choice when their need for blood became too great to ignore.

Mikaela had long since passed that stage when he finally started drinking Krul's blood on a regular basis after abandoning his futile attempts to sustain himself on a human diet. But now, the blond was quickly approaching the next stage of his vampirism as his craving for human blood grew stronger. Mika only hoped he could hold it off until he found Yuichiro again.

Trying not to think about that fast-approaching day, Mikaela slowly rolled the scarlet liquid around on his tongue for a moment as if to savor the taste before finally swallowing. As soon as the blood went down his throat, Mika realized to his horror that it wasn't enough to stem his cravings.

 _ _No…__ the blond thought frantically as he clutched the front of his white uniform. __Krul's blood is hardly working anymore! Why? Why does it have to be now?!__

If he weren't concerned about Lacus and Rene noticing, Mika would have desperately fled back to the city to find something—anything— to try and quell his thirst be it the blood of an animal or a dying human.

Instead, Mika resisted the temptation and made his way to the open field behind the neighborhood. He watched thirstily as the captured children were loaded onto helicopters.

As expected, his two companions were waiting for him while other vampire soldiers were taking count of the children. Out of the corner of his eye, Mika spotted another young girl, a red-head, who had her hair tied up in twin ponytails, reminding him of Krul whom he had been feeding off of for years. The hairstyle combined with her sleeveless dress, left her neck completely exposed. Even from a distance, Mikaela could see the veins stand out on the girl's pale skin and the scent of her blood seemed to beckon to him, to take what he needed and wanted so badly.

 _ _Blood…human blood… I want it…__ Mika thought as found his mind wandering towards Lacus's way of thinking. __Just a sip…it won't hurt…__

Normally, Mikaela would be appalled to find that he had anything in common with Lacus other than being a vampire. As Krul's adopted son, he was also her enforcer when it came to making sure his fellow vampire guards and soldiers did not sneak human blood when and where they weren't supposed to whether it was directly from the livestock kids or taking more than their permitted share from the blood banks.

But now that the queen's blood was losing its effectiveness at sating his thirst, Mikaela found himself fighting the same urges, the same temptations as his brethren, and, when the girl he was eyeballing turned briefly to make eye-contact with him, the blond finally lost it.

Before he could stop himself, Mikaela launched himself into the air and with his vampiric speed, he had the young girl pinned to the ground by her throat before she even knew what hit her. Although Mika had managed to hold back enough not to snap her neck, the girl gagged as she struggled to breathe, let alone scream, in his tight grip.

Baring his fangs in hunger, the blond was about to sink his fangs into the child's throat when he heard an annoying familiar voice behind him.

"So, it looks like you're going to drink after all, Mika! I knew you couldn't resist!" Lacus snickered. *****5*****

Ironically, it was the taunting of his purple-haired companion that finally snapped the blond out of his bloodlust. Using a great deal of willpower, Mikaela had managed to pull himself from the brink and loosened his grip on his victim's throat. As soon as he released her, the girl quickly stood up and ran crying into an older boy's, possibly her big brother's, arms. It was in that moment that Mikaela realized that he had just traumatized an innocent child, just as Ferid had traumatized Yuichiro by killing the rest of their family as well as fatally injuring Mika himself in front of her.

 _ _No…__ he thought in despair. __What have I done? I could have killed her! And for what? Just to quench my thirst? Yuu-chan would never forgive me if she knew!__

Hoping that drinking directly from Krul once he returned to Sanguinem would help, Mikaela decided that he would do everything he could to suppress his cravings and slowly stood up.

Ignoring the shit-eating grin on Lacus' face, Mika took a deep breath and looked towards Rene instead. Like always, the older raven-haired vampire had watched the entire spectacle in silence. The blond knew his companion could have stopped him but chose not to because he saw no point in it; they both knew the nobles in Nagoya would not miss the presence of one dead human child if Mika had sucked her dry.

Looking at him, Mikaela thought he saw something akin to pity in the other vampire's eyes and instead of reprimanding him for his lapse in control, Rene simply said:

"If you're going to drink, Mikaela, now is your last chance."

Mika sighed and shook his head. "No. I don't want any."

Rene raised a brow. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm sure."

Rene sighed and rolled his eyes. He knew Mika was lying, but, if the blond willfully chose not to drink and sate his bloodthirst, so be it.

"Very well then…" he said before turning to the other vampire soldiers. "Close the hatch," he ordered. "We'll meet with the rest of Lord Crowley's troops in Nagoya."

"Yes, sir!"

As the trio watched in silence, the helicopters finally took to the air and with them, Mikaela's last chance at finally satisfying his growing craving for human blood, at least for a while. Part of Mika was relieved that the temptation was finally removed from his presence, yet part of him also regretted not giving in to his desires, his need, when he still had the chance.

 _ _Not that it matters anymore…__ Mika thought sadly as he pulled his cape closer to his body before picking up the pace to catch up with his two companions. __Even if I'm no longer human, even when I finally__ do _ _break, as long as I can save Yuu-chan from those humans, from that dangerous man she calls her mentor, then that's all that matters…__

 ** **Footnotes:****

 ** **1\. Neither the manga nor anime explicitly state where Mika, Lacus, and Rene were collecting human children for the nobles in Nagoya but I surmised that it was probably somewhere on the way there.****

 ** **2\. In the anime, the nature of Mika's relationship with Krul comes off as being ambiguous. Considering that she "kissed" him to turn him, some may see their relationship as being semi-romantic/sexual but in the manga, she calls Mika her "self-centered son" so I see their relationship as more of a parent/child one.****

 ** **3\. A vampire drinking blood from another vampire is considered taboo and hence forbidden. But because Mika still retains his original eye-color after being turned, it was likely that the other vampires in Sanguinem already knew or at least suspect that Krul was sustaining Mika with her blood but nobody questioned it because she was the queen and Mika was her favorite.****

 ** **4\. After being turned, a vampire can no longer derive nutrition from anything but blood so I assume they would throw up anything else they attempt to eat or drink.****

 ** **5\. In the anime, Lacus is calmer and more collected than Mika but slightly more expressive emotionally than Rene. For my AU, Lacus takes delight in riling Mika about denying his need for blood as well as affections for fem!Yuu.****


	17. His Grace, Lord Lucal Wesker

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate version of the Nagoya arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta reader, ResidentialPsycho, for her help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!**

 **Chapter 17: His Grace, Lord Lucal Wesker**

Yuichiro stretched out her arms and released a soft yawn before turning to her squad leader for instructions on their latest mission.

"So how much longer do we have to wait, Shinoa? I'd like to get this over with and be home in time for dinner and a bath," she said coolly, trying to imitate Guren's confident mannerisms even when presented with a potentially hazardous mission from which he may not return alive.

The purple-haired girl reached into her uniform and took out her gold-toned pocket watch with the crest of the Hiragi family, the same one she had used to gain entry into the laboratory beneath the Shinjuku branch of JIDA Headquarters. After taking a brief glance at the watch, Shinoa answered "We have about ten minutes before the start of the Vampire Noble Extermination Mission."

"Ten minutes, huh?" Yuichiro sighed as she closed her eyes and looked towards the ceiling of the building where Narumi had ordered the three squads to meet. "Is there any way we can get a head start?"

To that, Satoshi rolled his eyes and gave the ravenette a skeptical look. "What's the rush, Miss Hyakuya? Are you really in such a hurry to die?"

Yuichiro snorted. "Who said anything about dying, Sato? Its not like I've never faced a noble before."

"True, but that doesn't mean you should start taking them lightly now."

"I _never_ take my enemies lightly."

"Oh really? You could've fooled me."

Not wanting Yuichiro and Satoshi to start an argument when they were about to start an important mission, Shinoa cleared her throat.

"That's enough, you two. We only have ten minutes to go over our strategy before the mission begins so I think its best not to waste them bickering."

Before Yuichiro could reply, both squads heard a stern male voice cut in.

"That's right. Since Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose put me in charge of both your squads, I'm going to need all of you to be a bit more cooperative with each other as well as with me," Narumi said as he approached with his own squad before turning to Yuichiro and gave her a good-natured smirk. "That is, if you want to go home alive and in time for your dinner and bath, Miss Hyakuya."

Instead of taking offense, Yuichiro returned the older man's smirk. "Of course, Narumi-san. If you will, could you please do the honors of filling us in on the details? I think I heard Guren mention that noble's name earlier. It had a British ring to it: Lucal Wesker, I believe?"

The brunette sergeant raised a brow. "Yes, that's right. I'm impressed you were even able to remember his name, let alone pronounce it perfectly. Even the other soldiers back at the base had a hard time with that."

Yuichiro brushed off her superior's praise with a wave of her hand. "I used to watch a lot of western TV programs as a child, American and European, so I picked up bits and pieces of their languages here and there. Anyway, please tell us more about His Grace, Lord Wesker." ***1***

" _Lord_ Wesker, Miss Hyakuya? Do you normally address your enemies so formally?" Narumi asked curiously. Asides from being a prodigy with the sword, the brunette sergeant also found Yuichiro oddly intelligent, refined, and polite for someone her age; she was even familiar with how European nobles were addressed by commoners in centuries past. All that considered, Narumi could now see why Guren took such pride in her.

Yuichiro shrugged her shoulders. "I don't see why not," she answered simply. "Even enemies can show respect, right?" ***2***

"If you're referring to human enemies, then yes, I'd agree with you. But the vampires are something else, particularly the nobles who look down on us like insects. Anyway, 'Lord' Wesker, as you call him, is a fifteenth progenitor and the target we have been ordered to eliminate."

"I see… will that be all, sir?" Yuichiro asked while trying not to notice the curious (and somewhat suspicious) looks Narumi's squad mates were giving her. The ravenette had no doubt they were dumb-founded by her skillful etiquette as well as quaint way of talking, something even Guren had difficulty with considering that he often spoke to others in a crass manner, especially when he was short on patience. ***3***

If they had time, Narumi would have asked Yuichiro if she went to a European finishing school but since he didn't, he simply answered her question. ***4***

"Yes… at least for now until we receive our next order from your guardian."

"I understand."

"Good," Narumi said before turning to the rest of Shinoa and Satoshi's squads. "In 1400 hours, the Moon Demon Company under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose, will conduct a simultaneous attack against eight vampire nobles currently residing in Nagoya. Our part is to eliminate Lucal Wesker, a fifteenth progenitor. In the event that we fail to destroy him, we must prevent Wesker from joining with the other nobles to the best of our ability. That is, until Guren Ichinose's squad has eliminated Nineteenth Progenitor, Mel Stefano, and comes to reinforce us. Before we begin, let me make it clear one more time that I will be expecting all of you to follow my orders to the last letter. And that means NO screwing around, understand?"

"Yes, sir!" the two squads, including Yuichiro herself, answered in unison.

Relieved that he had secured the cooperation of the younger squads under his command, Narumi turned to Shusaku and nodded his approval for the other man to continue the briefing.

As if on cue, the raven-haired man cleared this throat before picking up where his squad leader left off.

"All and all, there are actually ten vampire nobles residing in Nagoya as of this moment. The objective of our simultaneous attack is to eliminate at least eight out of the ten within fifteen minutes or less. Each targeted noble is to be eliminated by three MDC squads working together with the exception of the Guren Ichinose squad who will be targeting Mel Stefano on their own."

At the older man's revelation, Risa found her brow furrowing in slight worry for Guren and his squad. Raising her hand, the young brunette girl humbly voiced her concern before Riku could stop her.

"Umm, do you think the lieutenant colonel and his squad will be alright? I mean, Stefano may be weaker than Wesker, but at least we have three squads to take down our target while they have only one."

Before Shusaku could tell Risa to just worry about their orders, Satoshi spoke up. "Please accept my apologies on my subordinate's behalf, Shusaku-san. I'm sure Risa meant no disrespect; she's just concerned for our superior, that's all."

"It's all right, Satoshi," Narumi replied as he raised his hand in a silent request for Shusaku to let him speak before turning to Risa. "I understand you're concerned for the lieutenant colonel, but I wouldn't worry about him, Miss Harada. Guren Ichinose didn't become leader of the Moon Demon Company for nothing; he's fully capable of taking care of himself and his squad."

"Right," Shusaku added. "None of our squads are stationed very far apart anyway, so we can still come to their aid if we finish our part early and vice versa. However, we must prevent the nobles from coming together at all costs, or the entire company will be finished. We can't afford even the slightest mishap if we want to come home alive or victorious, as the lieutenant colonel put it."

"Well, staying alive is a bit of a requirement for coming home victorious, sir," Satoshi said with a touch of humor. "But we understand what you mean; both of our squads shall put forth our best efforts without fail. Right, Shinoa?"

"Yes, that's right, Satoshi," the purple-haired girl answered before turning to face their subordinates in both squads. "We have two minutes, so get ready to take your curse stimulant pills. They should take ten seconds to take effect and last for fifteen minutes. Time it down to the second, so we bust out of here at 1400 hours sharp. Our target…"

"Is already here," Narumi finished. "According to our intel, he will be sitting on a bench at the center of the park plaza."

Rika crossed her arms and gave her squad leader a skeptical look. "Are you sure, Makoto? How can you be so certain he's there now?"

Instead of being offended, Narumi smirked at his blonde subordinate. Like Shinoa, he considered his squad like family, so he tolerated being questioned by them from time to time.

"There's no need to worry that Wesker won't be there, Rika," he assured here. "The bastard comes to the park at approximately this time every day except on weekends. To my knowledge, he has never missed a single day, especially now that a gathering of nobles is about to take place. And to top it off, we also have the element of surprise on our side since Wesker has no idea we're here."

"Surprise is good," Kimizuki said while pushing his glasses up his nose. The pink-haired boy tried his best to main a neutral expression, but the relaxed look of his eyes exposed his relief. During a potentially lethal mission, every advantage they could get was vital to their survival. And, if he didn't survive, then his sister, Mirai, would no longer be able to receive treatment and would perish soon after him.

As if reading the pink-haired boy's mind, Narumi said, "Relax, Kimizuki. As unbelievable as this may sound, we can win this and go home without casualties. Just remember what I said about working together and following my orders."

"That should be no problem, Narumi-san," Shinoa agreed before turning to Satoshi and nodding in the direction of their subordinates.

Taking the hint, Satoshi said, "Ok, its almost time, everyone. Have your pills ready, and we'll take them ten seconds before the mission starts. And please be precise because taking them too early or too late may hinder your performance and our chances of success. Timing is everything if we want this mission to succeed."

"Understood!" both squads answered with the exception of Yuichiro, who said nothing as she pulled out her own case of cursed stimulant pills and took a moment to look the green tablets she had not used since the Battle of Shinjuku.

Since everyone in her squad, including the normally chatty Shinoa, had avoided answering any questions she asked about the battle in Shinjuku, Yuu didn't know much about what happened. All she knew was that she took these pills and then woke up in the hospital without remembering anything in-between. While Yuichiro didn't know exactly what had happened, she suspected the drugs she took were involved. If possible, the ravenette would rather not take them again. However, if these dangerous drugs were vital for their mission, she would take them to ensure the survival of herself and her comrades.

Yet somehow, Yuichiro could not shake off the strange feeling that she would not be able to die easily, even if she wanted. Trying not to think about that disturbing possibility, the ravenette briefly glanced outside a large broken glass window in the direction of a tall phone tower to the east and hoped that Yoichi and Takeshi, who went with Shinya earlier, would be alright.

 **SSSSSS**

"Hey, Saotome, you alright? You look like you're about to have a heart attack," Takeshi said as he lowered his crossbow and eyed his fellow archer with concern.

Yoichi gripped his bow and nodded as he tried to even his breathing. Both he and Takeshi were leaning against a wall inside a broken phone tower, positioned behind their superior officer and new sniping teacher, Major General Shinya Hiragi.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit nervous, is all. I just don't like high places." he answered. It wasn't completely untrue. Since he was a child, Yoichi Saotome had always felt uneasy with heights; even looking through windows from inside of tall buildings made him nervous. He felt even more so now that they were on the top floor of an open phone tower where the cold wind was blowing freely into his face.

Although Takeshi Saehara wasn't the brightest of people, even he could tell Yoichi wasn't telling the whole truth behind his nervousness.

"Whoa, you're not scared, are you? You know, our job _is_ the safest since we snipe from a distance instead of engaging in direct combat like Satoshi, Yuu, and Kimizuki." the other boy assured him.

Yoichi shook his head fiercely. "I'm not scared!" he insisted. "I'm only worried about what will happen if we fail to hit our targets."

Before Takeshi could reply, they both heard Shinya cut in. "Now, now, none of that," the older man gently reprehended him without turning around. "We have two minutes left; I suggest both of you ready yourselves because we're only going to get one shot at hitting our target."

"You sound very sure of yourself, sir," Takeshi said. "By the way, aren't you uncomfortable in that position?" the brunette boy asked curiously as he watched Shinya, who was lying on this stomach just a few yards away from him and Yoichi. In addition to the less than comfortable position, he was also holding his demon rifle without the aid of a tripod.

"Not at all," the older man answered. "I'm used to it. I'm sure your bows must have felt a bit awkward when you first started using them, no? I was the same way at first with my gun but now aiming and shooting has become second nature to me, even without a tripod. Not to mention that our demons can also increase our stamina and reduce physical fatigue as I'm sure both of you have noticed by now."

"I see… but what if…"

"We won't", Shinya answered preemptively, predicting Yoichi was going to ask about the consequences of failing their mission. "Failure isn't an option. If we fail, we die. That's all there is to it. And even if we miss our targets, our squad mates can back us up, so relax."

Yoichi raised a brow and forgot his nervousness for a moment at his superior's words. In all honesty, telling him and Takeshi to relax was the last thing Yoichi expected Shinya to say, especially when Guren had taught him and the rest of Shinoa's squad the opposite: to always be alert.

"Relax?" he asked curiously.

"Yes. This is the first time you boys have ever been on a sniping mission, right? Well, don't worry, Guren asked me to guide both of you through it. As long as you follow my instructions, there should be no problems."

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Now, a good way to start would be to calm down, take a deep breath, and try to clear your thoughts. Then focus on the task at hand. As snipers, being cool and collected is essential if we are to successfully back up our allies on the ground and assist them in destroying the enemy. However, should things go south and we're forced to retreat, we must also be prepared to kill any of our allies who fail to escape before they can be captured and tortured."

When Shinya told them that they may have to kill their own friends, the two boys looked up at him with horrified expressions. How could he speak of such a thing so casually?

"Are you serious, sir?" Takeshi asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "Do we really have to?"

"I'm afraid so," Shinya answered grimly as his expression darkened slightly, even though neither of his pupils could see it. "Trust me, it's better than the alternative; we'd be doing them a favor."

As if their upcoming assignment wasn't nerve-wracking enough, the thought of possibly having to kill his own squad mates or other fellow soldiers made Yoichi hyperventilate.

"But…!"

"Calm down, Yoichi. We won't be doing anything like that unless its absolutely necessary" Shinya said gently but sternly. "What I can tell you is that people _will_ definitely die if you don't learn to control your emotions. So, try not to think about it and start calling for your demons, both of you."

"Yes, sir…" Yoichi answered as he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and prepared to request the assistance of his demon as Takeshi followed suit.

 _Come out, Gekkouin, I need you…_ the brunette boy thought silently before cracking an eye open to see that his fellow archer was doing the same.

 _Miss Menou, please lend me your assistance…_ Takeshi silently requested to the demon in his mind, remembering that she valued and expected etiquette from her master.

After making sure that Gekkouin could hear him and was ready to come to his aid when needed, Yoichi managed a smile. "Thank you, sir. That made me feel a lot better."

"Yeah, me too," Takeshi added.

"Good. I'm glad. We're just in time since it looks like our target just showed up," said Shinya, excitement glittering in his eyes as he lowered his body to the beam. "Come closer to the edge and reposition yourselves. Do not fire until I give the word. Timing is everything if we want to successfully eliminate our target."

"Just the target?" Yoichi asked as he and Takeshi obeyed and moved closer to the edge of the tower where their superior was observing the scene unfolding below. "What about those other vampires down there?"

"Ignore them," Shinya answered simply. "Our main objective is the target, Fifteenth Progenitor Lucal Wesker. On the off-chance that we fail to strike him down in one shot, the others will handle him, and we will target the lesser vampires to assist them instead. Either way, we can win this."

"I think so, too," Takeshi agreed as he eyed the noble who had just sat down on a bench in the center of the park below them. "Personally, I'm glad we have an alternative plan in case we fail at our main objective."

"Right. It's always essential to have one or more back-up plans. Remember all that stuff you were taught in training? Junk them. Real battle is extremely unpredictable, so we must always be prepared for anything and expect the unexpected. That also includes keeping our eyes and minds moving and alert for alternative strategies we may end up needing to use at the last moment," Shinya said smoothly as if he had done so many times in the past.

As if telling them that there might be a possibility they may have to kill their allies if the mission leans towards failure, Yoichi and Takeshi found Shinya's instructions to forget everything they had learned in training even more mind-boggling. But when they really thought about it, the older man's instructions actually made sense.

After all, all is fair in love and war—and, more importantly, survival. Thinking outside of the box was a must.

 **SSSSSS**

"Ahh… The breeze is so pleasantly refreshing this time of the year. Don't you agree, Esther?" Fifteenth Progenitor Lucal Wesker casually asked his servant after sitting down and making himself comfortable on the park's stone bench. The other vampire Wesker referred to had the appearance of an elderly gentleman with white hair and a beard even though he was actually younger than him in years.

Esther nodded and folded his arms behind his back as he remained standing slightly behind his seated master. Such a position was routine for Esther Lee, whom Lucal Wesker always kept nearby to attend to his needs as his personal servant.

While both he and Esther were dressed neatly and elegantly as were expected of vampires of their station, Lucal Wesker had an appearance that made even other vampires as well as humans, leery of him. Born to an English noble family and turned sometime in the 18th century, the fifteenth progenitor had a high-strung and pompous air about him in addition to his gothic appearance that befitted the human stereotypical view of a vampire.

And as if he weren't already pale enough as a blood-sucking creature of the night as the legends say, Lucal Wesker had a habit of putting on additional make-up to make himself look even lighter. He also had a liking for wearing heavy, dark eyeshadows with thick eyeliner and black lipstick. If one were to describe him, they would compare Wesker's appearance to that of a punk rock star like the American singer, Marilyn Manson. ***5*** The only difference was the polished neatness of his extravagant clothing.

However, Esther, who was rather used to his master's rather intimidating presence and demeanor, merely nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, it is, my lord," he answered. "How are you enjoying the blood in your glass, if I may ask?"

"The taste is exquisite, Esther. Especially since it came from an unspoiled four-year-old girl."

"Ah yes… I've been told that the blood of virgins is most divine." ***6***

"Well, you heard right, Esther," Wesker affirmed as he casually tucked a strand of his shoulder-length white hair behind his pointed ear before taking another sip from the wine glass in his hand. "Would you like some?"

The older-looking vampire shook his head as he politely refused his master's offer.

"I think you for your generosity, my lord. But it is not necessary since I've already had my fill of blood for the day. Please enjoy yourself."

As if he didn't expect his servant to actually take him up on his offer, Wesker merely gave a small smile and shrugged his shoulders.

"Suit yourself, Esther; you don't know what you're missing."

"I see…then perhaps I may partake at a later time, my lord?"

"Yes, you should. You won't regret it. By the way…"

Esther raised a brow as he awaited his master's inquiry even though his thick beard and sunglasses made it difficult to see his expression.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Do you have it with you? You know…"

Knowing exactly what Wesker was talking about, Esther nodded as he took out some papers that were tucked away neatly inside his white coat.

"I have it right here, my lord," he answered.

"Yes... _that_ ," the noble began before asking his servant, "What do you think of it?"

Pleased that his master valued him enough to ask for his opinion, Esther said, "Our intel mentioned a plan to attack and destroy a human organization called the Japanese Imperial Demon Army, which is said to be located in Tokyo. Is that the matter to which you are referring, my lord?"

"Yes. Have you seen the missive that Third Progenitor Krul Tepes has sent us? She is ordering us—ordering _me_ —to deal with these lowly human worms like they were even worth my time and trouble. And she did it so casually with a swipe of a hand from Kyoto! I swear, that woman, and I say 'woman' very loosely, is insufferably arrogant!" ***7*** Wesker snarled as he bared his fangs and released the glass in his hands, allowing it to drop and shatter on the concrete ground.

The irony of his master's statement was not lost on Esther considering that he knew Wesker himself oozed arrogance and treated the common vampires no differently when he gave them orders. But the servant was still wise enough to hold his tongue and humor his master.

"I believe you are correct, my lord. Since we _are_ of a different faction, there should be no reason for you to even consider Lady Krul's requests, I believe."

Although Esther always knew what to say to appease him, Wesker still knew that what Krul wanted them to do was not a request but an order. And to refuse her as a Third Progenitor would be unwise since the vampire queen of Japan had little patience for uncooperative subordinates.

"Just out of curiosity, who here would pay any heed to such an order? What do the other nobles think of her absurd plan?"

"Well, to be honest, their opinions are quite divided. That is, if you're referring to _all_ the nobles."

"I'm not," Wesker said sharply. "In fact, I'm more concerned about Crowley Eusford and that sly bastard, Ferid Bathory. I have no issues with Eusford, but I've never liked or trusted Bathory."

To that, Esther smiled slightly in amusement at his master's assertion. It was no secret among their brethren, nobles and common vampires alike, that Seven Progenitor Ferid Bathory was not trusted, well-liked, or popular.

"Believe me, my lord; you are not the first noble I've heard say that. Even the lesser vampires are leery of Lord Bathory. As for Lady Krul, it appears that she is making overtures to mollify us."

"Oh, really? How so?"

She had ordered that humans in the Kansai region be collected and sent to us as gifts."

Wesker snorted. "Well, we don't need or want them. Nagoya has its own supply of human livestock, so there's no need for us to cater to the whims of some high-strung queen issuing orders from Kyoto."

The fifteenth progenitor's displeased comment came as no surprise to his servant, but Esther did not want any trouble with pink-haired vampire queen. So he cleared his throat before bringing something else to Wesker's attention.

"My Lord, if I may…"

"Yes?"

"There has been talk among the guards and other nobles as of late that Lady Krul plans to come to Nagoya in person."

Wesker was startled. As a socially withdrawn person, the fifteenth progenitor often lived in his own little world and paid little head to the activities of his fellow nobles unless they did or planned something that could potentially involve or trouble him.

"Is that so, Esther? In that case, perhaps we should comply. I may not care for Lady Krul, but even I know that openly defying her would be foolish."

"Indeed. But if it makes you feel better, my lord, we _are_ members of Lord Karr's faction and he is currently contesting Lady Krul for power over Japan."

"True… even so, I don't want to risk her wrath."

"I understand."

Wesker was about to reply to his servant when his sharp vampiric senses suddenly picked up what felt like a burst of energy coming from far away. Looking up, the fifteenth progenitor saw what appeared to the apparitions of a white tiger, a black and green crow, and a fiery red phoenix heading their way at break-neck speed.

Without warning, Wesker suddenly stood up and quickly withdrew his sword to deflect the demonic projectiles that could have easily vaporized both him and Esther had he not acted in time.

Startled, Esther reached for his own sword and prepared to assist his master.

"My Lord!" he cried. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Wesker answered. "Prepare your weapon; it looks like we have company!"

The vampire servant did not need to be told twice and drew his own sword. In addition to being Lucal Wesker's personal servant, Esther was also his master's most trusted bodyguard and was always ready to lay his life down to protect him.

With the sharp vision required of all snipers, Shinya, Yoichi, and Takeshi quickly realized that they had failed to take down their target with one shot, even if their timing was perfect.

"Shit!" Shinya cursed as he lowered his demon rifle. "We failed!" Turning to the younger boys, the major general gave his next order. "Quickly, target the other vampires! Destroy as many as you can before we get out of here! We'll let our comrades handle the rest!"

"Yes, sir!"

 **SSSSSS**

"It's started! Time to go!" Narumi ordered as soon as he heard and spotted an explosion in the nearby park that indicated that Shinya, Yoichi, and Takeshi had already done their part.

"Understood!" Yuichiro said as she withdrew her sword and prepared to make a dash for the park. "I'll go on ahead if you don't mind, Narumi-san!"

"Be my guest!" the older man replied with a smirk. "At least your death won't be in vain."

Yuichiro shot the brunette sergeant a look of annoyance even though she knew he had no intention of letting her die if he could help it. She just found his crude joke a bit riling, especially since they were about to head into battle.

"At least _pretend_ to have my back, sir!" she snapped.

Narumi grinned. "I'm just kidding, Miss Hyakuya! You must really learn how to take a joke! Now go! And no dying, girl!" he exclaimed, knowing full well that Guren would have his head if he let anything happen to Yuichiro while she was under his command.

"Like I'd die that easily!" the ravenette shot back as she went on ahead of her comrades with Narumi's approval and permission.

When Yuichiro finally arrived at the park where the explosion took place, she paused and waited for the dust to clear before seeing a tall figure in the distance armed with a European-style sword, making her realize that Shinya, Yoichi, and Takeshi had failed to take down their target in one shot as they had hoped.

While most human soldiers might have been disappointed, if not scared, that their assassination attempt of a powerful vampire lord had failed, Yuichiro merely saw her comrades' failure as a chance for her to put her sword-fighting skills as well as demonic powers to the test.

When the smoke and dust had finally cleared, Yuichiro was finally able to get a good look at the target Guren had ordered her along with Narumi, Satoshi, and Shinoa's squads to eliminate.

Upon seeing Yuichiro, Lucal Wesker gave a cruel smirk. "Now what have we here? A little girl! Did you come alone?" he asked, knowing very well that she did not. "The humans must be truly desperate if they sent someone like you to fight me, dear!"

Instead of being insulted, Yuichiro grinned and made a snarky retort. "And what have we here? A vampire lord with horrible taste in fashion who looks as creepy as fuck!"

As soon as he heard Yuichiro's insulting remark on his appearance, Wesker's expression quickly changed from amusement to anger that a lowly human child would dare to speak to him that way.

"My, my, that's no way for a human worm to talk to her betters", he snarled. "It looks like you need a painful lesson in good manners, insolent little wench!"

Unfazed by the noble's threat, Yuichiro pointed her sword and sneered at him.

"Well see about that, bloodsucker! Now die!"

"Insolent _and_ over-confident, aren't we, girl? Well let's see if you can hold that attitude when I rip that sharp tongue from your mouth!" Wesker shouted as he drew back his sword and prepared to attack.

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. His Grace or Her Grace is a style used for various high-ranking personages. It was the style used to address Kings of England until Henry VIII and the King or Queen of Scots up to the Act of Union of 1707, which merged the Kingdom of Scotland with the Kingdom of England. Today, the style is used when referring to non-royal dukes and duchesses, and archbishops, in the United Kingdom.**

 **2\. Fem!Yuu holds vampires in contempt just as much as male!Yuu but addresses Lucal Wesker formally in front of Narumi and his squad to demonstrate her maturity and refined manners so that they would take her seriously and overlook her tardiness in arriving at Ebina late with her squad.**

 **3\. Unlike male!Yuu, fem!Yuu dislikes being constantly compared to Guren in terms of wit and sword-fighting skills so she also takes pride in her grace and social charm being superior to his.**

 **4\. A finishing school is a school for young women that focuses on teaching social graces and upper-class-cultural rites as a preparation for entry into society. The name reflects that it follows on from ordinary school and is intended to complete the education, with classes primarily on deportment and etiquette, with academic subjects secondary. It may consist of an intensive course, or a one-year program. In the United States it is sometimes called a charm school.**

 **5\. Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, composer, actor, painter, author, and former music journalist known for his extreme Gothic style of dress and make-up. In the fictional world of Owari no Seraph, Manson perished with the majority of the human adults in the apocalypse.**

 **6\. In most vampire folklore, the blood of young virgins is considered to be very pure and desirable to vampires. In the OnS canon series, it does not matter very much to them. Rather, the taste of blood depends on the person it comes from and every vampire has their own preferences. For example, Ferid favors the blood of teenagers while Lucal favors the blood of toddlers and Crowley prefers the blood of strong warriors. In my AU all of that still matters to the seraph vampires but virgin blood is still seen as most desirable.**

 **7\. Out of contempt for Krul Tepes for giving him orders to deal with humans he believed were not worth his time and trouble, Lucal Wesker mocks her eternally childish appearance by refusing to even acknowledge Krul as a woman.**


	18. When Livestock Revolt: Part I

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate version of the Nagoya arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta readers, ResidentialPsycho and Falchion1984 for their help in making this fic possible. On another note, I also have illustrations available on my DeviantArt and Twitter pages. My names on both is also Elly3981. Enjoy and please review!**

 **Chapter 18: When Livestock Revolt, Part I**

"Oooh, is that supposed to frighten me, freak?" Yuichiro mocked in a sing-song tune. Lucal Wesker's lips curled in disgust as he glared at her and the ravenette swore she saw steam coming out of his ears. The vampire lord slowly drew his sword, and, before Yuichiro could blink, he was only a few feet away from her and charging toward her like a raging bull with his fangs bared.

Although the ravenette despised being constantly compared to her mentor, Yuichiro and Guren shared a trait even she couldn't possibly deny: they both took a perverse delight in taunting their enemies and breaking their cool.

Not only did provoking her vampire opponents entertain Yuichiro to no end, but disrupting their focus by peppering them with insults also gave her an advantage in combat as well

Unfortunately, in Yuichiro's excitement, she failed to notice that the creepy-looking vampire lord was not alone. And as a result, the ravenette's confidence wavered slightly when she saw another vampire with the appearance of an elderly man with sunglasses and a white beard join the confrontation. Like Wesker, he, too, was armed with a sword and dressed in a uniform that was slightly different from that of the other vampire soldiers Yuichiro was used to seeing. ***1***

 _Shit!_ The ravenette thought. _How could I not realize that this noble would have at least one bodyguard with him? No, matter, I can still take them both on at least until Narumi and the others get here!_

However, such a thing was much easier said than done, even with the powers her demon sword granted her. Still, Yuichiro was determined to buy at least some time until the rest of her comrades arrived.

Even if she had to take on two powerful vampires alone.

However, one thing Yuichiro was grateful for was that her contract with Asuramaru sped up her reaction time and strategic thinking enough to keep up with her vampire opponents.

Thinking quickly, guided by instincts honed over a lifetime under the shadow of the vampires, Yuu brought up her sword to meet that of Wesker's. The long sword with its conical guard, which split the air like a bolt of lightning, met her blade in a shower of sparks. If Wesker was surprised that Yuu's arms didn't break as he bore down upon her, he gave no sign, but merely threw his weight into the blade lock.

Even with her demon's aid, it was all the ravenette could do just to keep her arms braced as she struggled to maintain her footing. Wesker, it seemed, could not break through her guard by sheer force, but he didn't have to.

He just needed to keep her blade out of position to defend against his little friend.

And, sure enough, movement out of the corner of her eye alerted her to Esther, who was a step away from laying open her side from armpit to ankle.

Taking a gamble, Yuu freed one hand from her already wavering blade, and the vampire pressing down upon it, and desperately reached the new semi-automatic pistol Shinya had given to her prior to the mission after her previous one had been destroyed by Guren. She focused her mind to call upon Asuramaru's power until a trident suddenly shot out of the darkness, catching Esther's sword and forcing it away a split-second before she would have been gutted like a fish.

Yuu looked at the source of the clanging and saw Narumi, who shot her a quick grin.

"What, did you think I would just sit back and let you get yourself killed, Miss Hyakuya?" he joked. "Your guardian would not be too pleased if we came back without you."

Yuichiro scowled in annoyance at the older man's condescending remark even though she was wise enough not to take her eyes off of Wesker for even a moment.

"Ha, like I could be taken down that easily, Narumi-san!"

Insulted that Yuichiro would dare spare a moment to take a potshot at her comrade instead of giving him her undivided attention, Lucal Wesker snarled and shoved her back with his sword. Somewhat winded and taken by surprise at the sudden burst of strength, Yuu could not fend off Wesker's attack. Instead, she caught the oncoming blade along the edge of her katana, angling her sword and shifting her feet so that Wesker's momentum caused his blade to slide over hers, and thus free her.

Wesker's incredulity, which was already impressive, reached new heights, and Yuu sensed the opportunity therein.

"So not only do you insult my appearance, you also have the nerve to talk over my shoulder to that idiot boy with the topknot like I wasn't even here! Well, I originally planned to make your death quick, little girl. But your insolence is unforgivable so I think I'll slowly tear you apart limb from limb before I suck you dry!" he roared.

Unfazed by the noble's threat, Yuichiro merely grinned. "You know, if I got one US dollar for every time I heard something like that from you freaks, I'd be a millionaire by now!" she laughed as she made a leap to attack Wesker again. Seeing the vampire lord so rankled by her audacity made Yu realize it increased the likelihood of his making a mistake. This thought raised Yuichiro's spirits and boosted her second wind.

Kimizuki, who had finally caught up to Yuichiro along with the rest of their comrades in Narumi, Shinoa, and Satoshi's squads, had to refrain from rolling his eyes at the ravenette's boastful remark as he quickly entered the fray to assist her. For he knew that no matter what Yuichiro said or thought, she would not be able to take down a noble by herself so easily, especially after she had enraged him with her sharp tongue.

"Hey, Yuu, in case you haven't noticed, this isn't a time to be bragging or joking!" the pink-haired boy exclaimed as he made an attempt to strike at Wesker's blind side. Unfortunately, the noble easily saw it coming and dodged effortlessly.

Now that her squad mates had the vampire lord's full attention, Shinoa attempted to attack him from behind. Swinging her scythe towards Wesker's neck, Shinoa shouted, "You're finished, bloodsucker!"

"Tsk, children should learn to behave themselves," Wesker sneered as he easily caught the blade of Shinoa's scythe between his thumb and forefinger with the same ease and casual disgust, as if he were handling no more than a pinch of salt. A quick, forceful turn of the wrist was enough to send the weapon flying, and Shinoa along with it, into Kimizuki's path.

By the time the pink-haired boy realized what Wesker had done, it was too late for him to hold back. While his self-control had improved a great deal since he obtained his twin swords, Kimizuki still didn't have enough restraint to stop himself in mid-strike and would have sliced Shinoa in half if Yuichiro had not intervened and moved in to deflect his attack.

"Shinoa! Are you alright?" Yuichiro cried before she felt a slight breeze graze her back and heard a cruel snicker behind her.

"Concerned for your comrade, my dear? You'd best be more concerned for yourself since it was _you_ I was after from the beginning!"

"Shit!" Yuichiro cursed as she spun around to confront her enemy once more while hoping that the others will cover for Shinoa in her place. "That was a real cowardly move on your part, _Lord_ Wesker!"

At the ravenette's sudden and unexpected use of his title, even if spoken in a less-than respectful tone, Wesker raised a brow in slight astonishment.

"My, it looks like you _do_ have some semblance of respect for your betters, girl! I've also noticed that you're a touch too powerful for a human. Now I get it! You and your comrades there must be the humans Krul Tepes was so vexed by that she would order me to go out of my way to exterminate you! Well then, I'd best be squashing these pests before they cause us further irritation!"

Knowing that the noble wasn't going to hold back anymore, Yuichiro braced herself for his attack when she suddenly heard Mitsuba shouting for her demon's assistance from behind Wesker.

"Protect Yuu, Tenjiryu!" the blonde girl commanded. In response to Mitsuba's summons, several shadows that crept across the ground suddenly lengthened, writhed, and then shot toward Yuichiro. The shadow-like wraiths flanked the ravenette, but Wesker easily banished them with a contemptuous wave of his hand.

"Pathetic, child! Is that the best you can do?" the noble taunted as he prepared to turn his wrath on Mitsuba. Now that Wesker had his back to Yuu and Kimizuki again, the pair attempted to attack him together.

Being slightly closer to the noble than Yuu, Kimizuki managed to reach Wesker first.

"Die, vampire!" the pink-haired boy snarled as he raised his twin swords, one for the noble's neck and the other for his gut.

"No, _you_ die, human!" Wesker retorted.

Yuichiro, who'd seen Kimizuki's peril and had sprinted to close the distance, swung at the vampire noble, only for his sword to block hers. Not even bothering to glance in Yuu's direction, Wesker watched Kimizuki's blades angling away until, just as they were but a hairsbreadth from clashing together, his hand shot forth and grabbed both blades. Indifferent to the sluggish trickle of black blood from his hand, he twisted hard, wrenching both blades from the pink-haired boy's grasp before he could react.

Now that Kimizuki was unarmed, he was left completely defenseless and would have been easily cut down by Wesker were it not for Rika, Taro, and Yayoi, who attacked him from behind and the sides with their own demon weapons.

Esther, who was still in pitched combat against Narumi, saw the approach of his master's newest assailants. Slapping aside his foe's trident, he tried to disengage from his current opponent and run to Wesker's aid, only for his pale features to contort with alarm as he saw the blade of a young blonde woman dig deep into Wesker's back.

"My lord!" the vampire servant cried as he attempted to separate from Narumi quickly so that he could assist his master.

"Not so fast!" Narumi said sharply, catching Esther's blade between the outer flare of one of his trident's prongs and then shifting his grip to hold the two weapons locked together. Esther was now forced to either stand his ground or leave unarmed. Either way, he was stuck, and keeping him that way might decide whether any of the humans came away from this battle alive.

"I am sorry, but I no longer have time to dally with you, human." Esther politely apologized as he finally started to get serious enough to fight at his full power. Despite being enemies, Narumi was impressed by the vampire's manners. Even so, he stood his ground and refused to let him past, lest his squad face the consequences. Although not a noble himself, the vampire servant was no pushover when it came to combat; he was still considerably stronger than an ordinary vampire soldier, as Narumi had quickly discovered.

Changing his stance, Esther lifted a leg and kicked Narumi square in the chest while shifting the position of his sword slightly to free it, when they both heard the sound of something flying through the air. The object, a silver-toned war fan with a sharp metal edge, flew past Narumi and straight at his opponent who was forced to raise his sword to deflect it. Taking the opportunity Risa's weapon provided, Narumi raised his trident to attack Esther again, his hope being that he could use the prongs to wretch the vampire servant's sword from his grip.

"We got your back, sir!" the Harada twins cried out from behind Narumi. Although Risa always kept one fan handy to avoid becoming defenseless, Riku was able to take advantage of the opening her twin provided. Breathing deeply, she summoned her demon.

" _Assist me, Mileena…"_ ***2***

In answer, the female demon within Riku's mind laughed softly. _"Well, it's about time you've called for my assistance, Riku! Does that mean you're finally starting to trust me just a little?"_

" _Heh, you know I won't trust you any more than I have to, Mileena! I'm sure you'd love nothing more than to have a human body again just like all demons, including your twin, Kitana! She just happens to be a little sweeter to Risa, my twin!"_ Riku answered with a grin.

" _Hmm, true. Very well then, Miss Harada…"_ the demon consented before appearing behind Riku in the form of a young raven-haired women who was physically identical to Kitana, Risa's demon, except that her hair was shorter and loose and her provocative attire was magenta instead of purple.

Guiding her mistress's dominant left hand, Mileena's demonic power augmented Riku's skill and power well beyond her considerable limits. From a seemingly impossible distance, and with all the strength a denizen of the abyss could muster, they threw the sai, aiming right between Esther's eyes.

Although the Harada twins were both constrained by the fact they could each throw only one weapon at a time lest they end up unarmed, their teamwork allowed them to compensate for this weakness, and even to take advantage of such a situation as this- as long as one sister followed the other, they could attack twice together and still keep one weapon handy apiece. As long as they worked in tandem, it wasn't impossible for the pair to strike continuously from a distance.

Esther discovered this the hard way when he found the central prong of a sai buried halfway through his forehead.

However, even such a gruesome blow wasn't enough to kill Esther outright, but it created an opening. And, that suited the humans just fine. Taking advantage of the distraction the Harada twins provided, Narumi charged toward the elderly-looking vampire servant.

By the time the trident wielding human had closed in, Esther had already torn the sai from his forehead. Black blood dripped from the wound, but it healed within seconds. Snarling, he flung the sai at Narumi, who stopped in his tracks and quickly batted it aside.

As soon as the sai clattered to the ground, Riku invoked the summoning magic woven into the metal. The weapon seemingly evaporated in a puff of smoke only to reappear in Riku's hand and the Harada twins were both fully-armed once again.

"I commend you for bringing in more of your fellow humans to help you, sir. But be warned, it's only fair that my lord and I do the same!" Esther said before swinging his sword in a wide horizontal arc that crackled with bright energy. Struck by the gust of wind produced by the swing, the humans were forced several feet back while their eyes, dazzled by the malevolent radiance, went black for dire, stretching seconds.

As soon as the light finally dimmed, all three squads found themselves confronted by an additional half-dozen vampire guards as well as Lucal and Esther. Since there had been nothing to indicate that there were any more vampires in the park asides from the white-haired vampire lord and his servant earlier, Narumi quickly surmised that Esther must also have the power to create illusory decoys like Norito Goshi. ***3***

"Careful, everyone!" Narumi warned. "They may not be real vampire guards but can still fight like them. So, don't let your guards down!"

"Oh, I believe it!" Satoshi exclaimed, recalling how Goshi's illusionary of Guren had easily forced him and Kimizuki out of the mock battle between their squads earlier that morning. Since Yuichiro was the only one who realized he was a decoy, only she had been able to continue with the battle.

That battle had also reinforced the lesson that no human could fight a vampire noble alone. If their failure against this little trick was repeated, they were as good as dead.

Turning to Daisuke, Satoshi made a gesture towards the vampire decoys. "You and the twins take care of them! I'll help Narumi-san with the noble's servant!" he ordered.

"Sure thing, Sato!" Daisuke shot back as he and the Harada twins quickly turned their attention to Esther's illusory soldiers. Like with the elderly servant himself, they had to be prevented from joining Wesker if the three squads were to have any hope of victory.

Relieved to have the assistance of another squad leader who also specialized in close-ranged combat like himself, Narumi gave Satoshi a quick grin.

"Glad to see you can make it, Hiwatari!" he exclaimed. "Now give me a hand with this old-timer so we can finally get our shot at Wesker! After all, we can't let the others hog all the glory!"

Satoshi returned his superior's grin before leveling his demon sword at his foe. "With pleasure, sir!"

Esther's seemingly perpetual frown deepened with obvious displeasure at Narumi's remark, even though neither he nor Satoshi could see it because of his beard.

"Hmph! How utterly rude of you, human! I'll have you know I'm not a day over two hundred!" he scoffed. ***4***

"Uh, oh, now you've gone and made him mad, Narumi-san! I'd expect something like that from Miss Hyakuya, but aren't you supposed to be the wise adult in charge of the 'newbies' as you like to call us?" Satoshi jokingly reprimanded his superior.

"True, but that doesn't mean I can't have a bit of fun while I'm at it, Hiwatari!" Narumi replied with a smirk. Even though their situation was no laughing matter, both his and Satoshi's combined efforts made their fight with Wesker's bodyguard a bit easier.

To avoid accidently impaling each other with their weapons, the pair attacked Esther from different angles with Narumi targeting his front while Satoshi targeted his sides. Both could only hope that their other comrades would be able to at least hold Wesker off until they could finally get rid of his troublesome servant as well as the vampire decoys.

"Hurry up and call for your demon, Shusaku! We won't be able to restrain him like this forever!" Rika cried as she struggled to keep her weapon buried in Wesker's back while Taro and Yayoi's penetrated his sides below the ribs.

The young raven-haired man wasted no time before leveling his sword towards Wesker and calling for his demon contractor. Unlike most MDC soldiers, Shusaku preferred to issue commands to his demon out loud rather than in his thoughts.

"Akahebi, I command you, bind that vampire scum!" he ordered.

The demon's response was instant and the short sword in Shusaku's right hand started to glow with an eerie red light before it began to writhe and wiggle in his hand. The weapon narrowed and lengthened, stretching and contorting with the aid of the demonic powers until what was once a sword twisted itself into a long chain and flew towards Wesker.

Before the noble could react, the chain wrapped itself firmly around his right arm from the wrist up to the elbow just as Rika, Taro, and Yayoi quickly released him and moved away to avoid getting caught in Shusaku's trap.

For a moment, the white-haired vampire lord was startled and gave his assailant a blank stare before he attempted to use the chain to pull Shusaku towards himself to decapitate him but found to his dismay that neither the demon weapon nor its owner would budge.

Knowing that his demonic chain could only hold Wesker for so long, Shusaku turned to Yuichiro and Kimizuki and nodded towards the noble's direction.

"Quickly, you two! Kill him before he breaks free!"

Neither Yuichiro nor Kimizuki needed to be told twice. While Wesker was distracted, the pink-haired boy had managed to re-arm himself by summoning his twin swords back into his possession and was as ready as Yuichiro to take on the white-haired noble again. Until now, both had been struggling to keep the vampire lord at bay while waiting for their comrades to come and assist them.

"Of course! Let's go, Yuu!" Kimizuki called to his squad mate to let her know he had her back.

"Shit, it looks like we gotta help those two since there's no guarantee they can take down Wesker by themselves!" Satoshi exclaimed when he saw Yuichiro and Kimizuki charge towards the noble out of the corner of his eye.

"Yes, you may be right, Hiwatari!" Narumi agreed. "Call for your demon, and I'll do the same; we have to end our fight with this bloodsucker and assist them soon!"

"Understood, sir!"

Normally, Satoshi preferred to avoid calling for his demon contractor but when ordered to do so by a superior, he did not hesitate, especially if the lives of his comrades depended on it.

" _Possess me, Krad!"_ the blue-haired boy ordered silently.

The blond demon laughed softly. _"But of course, Master Satoshi! Anything for you…"_

Ignoring the mocking tone of his demon, Satoshi allowed Krad's power to flow through him, enhancing his speed and strength, before he charged towards Esther again while trusting Narumi to cover him.

As he had promised, the older man had called for his own demon and used its power to manifest dozens of small projectiles resembling turtle shells and hurled them towards the vampire servant to distract him and provide an opening for Satoshi to attack. ***5***

With Narumi's projectiles pelting him like rocks and impairing his vision, Esther found himself caught completely off guard. Before the vampire could finally react, Satoshi quickly dashed up to him and sliced his head off with his demon sword.

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. In canon, Lucal sacrifices Esther by throwing him in the path of Shinya and Yoichi's demon projectiles when they fired at him but for my AU, I kept him alive a bit longer and brought in more vampire soldiers to create enough opponents for all three squads to fight.**

 **2\. Mileena** **is a character in the** _ **Mortal Kombat**_ **fighting game series who made her debut in** _ **Mortal Kombat II**_ **. Although she is widely believed to be Kitana's twin sister, Mileena is actually a clone of** **Kitana** **, created by Shang Tsung's sorcery in his flesh pits for** **Shao Kahn** **, using** **Tarkatan** **physiology. In my AU, Mileena is Riku Harada's demon contractor.**

 **3\. In canon, the vampires' attacks are often physical and direct. They do not need to contract with demons or use magical attacks or illusions like humans due to their superior strength. For my AU, I plan on having weaker vampires, like Esther, use magic to compensation for their lack of strength.**

 **4\. As with most vampire legends and fandoms, vampires stop aging physically once they are turned so it is impossible to tell how old they are just by looking at them. An elderly-looking vampire can easily be younger in years than a vampire who has the appearance of a child.**

 **5\. In canon, the demonic powers of Narumi's trident appear to be defensive in nature. While he uses his trident for physical attacks, he can only manifest a shield for defense purposes when calling on his demon's power. For my AU, I gave Narumi's weapon an additional power to manifest projectiles for long-range fighting as well.**


	19. When Livestock Revolt: Part II

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate version of the Nagoya arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta readers, ResidentialPsycho and Falchion1984 for their help in making this fic possible. On another note, I also have illustrations available on my DeviantArt and Twitter pages. My names on both is also Elly3981. Enjoy and please review!**

 **Chapter 19: When Livestock Revolt, Part II**

"Now, Narumi-san!" the blue-haired boy cried as he sent Esther's head flying through the air. Since Wesker's servant and bodyguard was stronger than an average vampire soldier, both Satoshi and Narumi had prepared for the possibility that decapitation alone might not be enough to destroy him. ***1***

"Don't worry, leave it to me, Sato!" Narumi reassured him as he drew back his trident and charged at Esther's still-standing headless body. Thrusting the three wickedly sharp prongs, Narumi pierced the heart with a spray of blood and a satisfying gurgle. He then poured all the demonic power he could muster into the weapon, and the body soon turned to ash and was scattered on the breeze.

Were it not for the fact that they still had Wesker to deal with, Satoshi would have ordered Krad to relax, if not release his hold on him, as soon as Esther was destroyed.

Now that their biggest obstacle to Wesker was removed, Narumi and Satoshi quickly joined their other squad mates, including Daisuke and the Harada twins, who no longer had to fight the vampire decoys after they turned to ash upon the demise of their creator. With Wesker being their final and most powerful opponent, the three squads surrounded him in a large circle to block off any escape attempts he might make.

Not that the proud noble would ever consider trying to escape- not from a gaggle of insolent humans whom he regarded as little more than unruly cattle, their presence and affront and the notion of them being able to kill him being laughable.

If nothing else, his pride would ensure that he'd fight to the end…though, just _whose_ end remained very much in question.

"Good work, Shusaku!" Narumi praised his friend. "Just try to hold him a little longer for the kids and me to finish the job!"

"'Finish the job'?" Wesker sneered as he raised one arm, eyeing with distaste the demon chain he'd been bound with. He gave the expression of one who was wordlessly asking if he were supposed to be impressed, and that he wasn't, before forcing Yuu and Kimizuki back with a wide slash of his long sword. "You talk as if I'm some pushover like those lower vampires you just eliminated. Your pride and over-confidence is foolish, human. And both will cost you your life as well as the lives of your subordinates!"

Instead of trying to break off Shusaku's chain like everyone had expected, Wesker shocked them by taking his sword and slicing off his own bound arm before jumping back several yards, seemingly unbothered by the blood that was pouring out of the stump below his right elbow.

"Wh…what the heck is he doing!?" Risa asked in astonishment as she and Riku lowered their weapons slightly.

Alarmed, Shinoa called out to the twins with an outstretched arm and hand. "Don't let your guard down, you two! Even with a missing arm, that noble mustn't be taken lightly!"

"She's right!" Mitsuba added. "Everyone, keep your weapons raised!"

"So, what are we going to do now, Sato?" Daisuke asked his squad leader as he moved slightly closer to Satoshi. However, the red-haired boy still stayed far enough from his squad leader to ensure that Wesker wouldn't be able to slip past them easily.

"I'm not sure," the blue-haired squad leader answered calmly as he looked down at the noble's severed arm that had just landed before his feet a moment earlier. "But there's no way we can hold onto this formation and keep Wesker from escaping if he decides to try. That leaves us with only one option…"

Before the red-haired boy could ask his squad leader what he meant, Satoshi quickly cleared his throat to distract the vampire lord's attention from Narumi.

"Hey, freak!" he called to the noble as he pointed his glowing gold-toned katana at Wesker and tried his best to imitate Yuichiro's mocking lilt. "I know you dumb leeches can reattach your severed limbs, but can you grow back a new one like a lizard if we vaporize them with a curse?" ***2***

Forgetting the others for a moment, Wesker turned around and narrowed his eyes at Satoshi. "What are you getting at, human?" he growled.

"Oh, nothing! Just wanted to test out a little theory of mine, that's all!" the blue-haired boy answered in a semi-playful tone accompanied by a grin as he quickly positioned his sword downward and speared Wesker's severed arm with his blade like it was a hunk of meat before glancing over the noble's shoulder and giving Kimizuki a wink.

Before Wesker could react, Satoshi quickly drew back his sword with the noble's severed arm and swung it towards Kimizuki's direction. As with Riku's sai and demon contractor Mileena, Krad ensured that Wesker's arm flew directly towards the pink-haired boy without fail after it finally slipped off his blade.

Catching on to Satoshi's plan quickly, Kimizuki easily caught the severed limb with the blade of one of his twin swords and pinned it to the ground, twisting it around slightly as he followed the other boy's lead and gave Wesker a taunting grin.

"Now that you mention it, that's a very interesting question, Hiwatari!" the pink-haired boy exclaimed. "Why don't we find out?"

Turning around to face Kimizuki, Wesker gave him his most intimidating stare, his dark eyeshadow making his crimson eyes even more intense.

"I wouldn't do that, boys..." he warned softly. "It would be unwise to make me angry…"

"Oh, is that supposed to frighten me?" Kimizuki mocked. Like Yuichiro, he did not scare easily. "Could it be that this is your dominant arm? Well, if you want it back, you better start begging before I cook it and feed it to the crows!"

Glaring at the pink-haired boy, Wesker started to take a step in his direction.

"I'll kill you, you little bastard!" he snarled, gnashing his teeth so hard everyone could hear his jaw creaking.

"Huh, what did you say?" Kimizuki teased while cupping a hand to his ear. "If you ask real nice, I might just give you back your arm in one piece!"

As expected, the pink-haired boy's snarky comment struck a nerve with the proud noble who would never do something so degrading as to beg a lowly human for anything. As if Wesker didn't already look creepy enough when he frowned with disdain at watching Satoshi and Kimizuki fool around with his arm, the noble's face twisted into an even uglier, monstrous expression as he finally charged towards Kimizuki with his sword drawn.

"Filthy human livestock! I'll kill you all!" he roared.

As soon as the noble made his move, Narumi, Satoshi, and Shinoa gave the signal for their squads to close in on Wesker.

"Here he comes!" Shinoa cried. "Close off his escape and finish him!"

"Heh, easier said than done, Shinoa!" Mitsuba scoffed, but obeyed nonetheless. Swinging her demon axe, she unleashed the energy crackling within to slow down the enraged noble, leaving him open to attack from the others.

Unlike the rest of their squads, Kimizuki stood his ground since he knew Wesker would surely come after him to reclaim his severed arm.

The pink-haired boy did not even raise his free sword to defend himself which puzzled the vampire lord charging towards him until he caught sight of an additional three humans standing behind Kimizuki: a young man in his mid-twenties flanked by two teenage boys. All three were armed with long-ranged weapons aimed at him.

"Good job, Kimizuki! We'll take it from here!" Shinya called from behind the pink-haired boy as he gave the signal for Yoichi and Takeshi to fire with him.

With three powerful demonic projectiles flying towards him, Wesker was forced to break off his attack on Kimizuki in order to defend himself.

As expected from a vampire lord of his station, Wesker was able to deflect and vaporize the incoming demonic bullets. But, as the energy that shaped itself into tigers, crows, and phoenixes of light burst into haloes of light before his eyes, his vision became more and more dazzled until he could see only a confusing mishmash of half-light and indistinct shadows.

For a vampire, such blindness would last only for a moment, but that was all it took for Yuichiro to run him through with her sword from behind. At the sudden attack, Wesker howled, this time in pain more than anger, and reached back with his free arm to grab Yuu. But it was too late and she'd already leapt away. It didn't take the noble long to realize that Yuichiro was not a typical JIDA soldier and that her weapon was no ordinary one if it could cause him a great deal of pain from the wound it inflicted.

Collapsing to his knees, Wesker placed the hand of his only arm to his chest where Yuichiro's sword had exited after entering his body from the back. In addition to dark blood, black mist also came out of the vampire lord's ghastly wound.

"Wh..what's going on here?" he gasped. "Why isn't my wound healing!?"

"Well, that's how it is with cursed weapons. It looks like you vamps take your enemies far too lightly!" Narumi said sharply before calling out to his nearest subordinates to Wesker to finish what Yuichiro had started.

"Yayoi! Risa! Riku! Finish him!" he ordered.

"Right, sir!" the young auburn-haired woman shot back as she and the Harada twins rushed in to destroy the weakened noble once and for all.

Being the closest of the three, Yayoi jumped into the air, her sword angled for the kill as she aimed for Wesker's head. But, the vampire lord was far from ready to accept defeat and easily caught the blade of her weapon with his free hand.

With a feral snarl, he twisted the weapon hard enough to threw her to the hard ground. Scrambling to his feet, he snatched up his own sword again and rose, his tall figure looming over the three young women.

"I refuse to be killed by pathetic livestock…" Wesker snarled before raising his weapon, intent on using his remaining strength to cut Yayoi and the Harada twins down. The noble knew he wouldn't be able to fight off all the humans who had him maimed and surrounded but figured that if he was going to go down, he would take a least one or two of them with him.

Alarmed, Narumi called out to his red-headed subordinate. "Yayoi!"

However, before the brunette sergeant could jump to her aid, Risa acted quickly and made an upward swipe with her right fan at Wesker, slicing off his remaining hand at the wrist and rendering him completely helpless. Without his other arm, the noble could not make a grab for his newly severed hand but Riku decided not to take any chances and quickly flung one of her sai at the appendage, spearing it through the palm and carrying it several dozen yards away. The flight ended with the hand pinned on a tree at the far side of park, far out of the doomed Wesker's reach.

"It's over, vampire…" Narumi said calmly as he walked up to the white-haired vampire lord with Yuichiro at his side. "You should have run away when you had the chance but your pride and over-confidence blinded you. Kind of ironic when you said those same qualities would end up costing me and my subordinates our lives, don't you think?"

Knowing that he had depleted the last of his strength and energy to fight and that the wound inflicted on him by Yuichiro was likely to be fatal, Lucal Wesker collapsed to his knees again and gave Narumi one last defiant glare.

"Don't expect me to beg, human," he snarled.

"Not even to save your life?" Yuichiro challenged.

"Never. I'd rather die than suffer the humiliation of begging lowly worms like you to spare me," the vampire lord sneered.

Narumi sighed. Although a bit disappointed, the brunette sergeant couldn't say that he was surprised to hear such an answer from a noble like Wesker. Or any vampire noble for that matter.

"As you wish," Narumi said as he raised his trident. "Since you _did_ put up a good fight, I suppose we can at least grant you a dignified death, _Lord_ Wesker."

Yuichiro frowned as, for some reason she could not make sense of, she found herself almost pitying Wesker in his last moments of prideful but futile defiance. She said nothing, however, as she watched Narumi deliver the death blow, finishing off the white-haired vampire lord and scattering his ashes to the winds. ***3***

After the threat had past, all three squads were finally able to relax. A few members even took a moment to celebrate their victory by cheering or high-fiving each other.

"Whoo hoo! We did it!" Shinoa cheered as she took Mitsuba in a bear-hug. Normally, the blonde girl hated public displays of affection, but, since she was also in a good mood, Mitsuba decided to humor her squad leader and did not resist Shinoa's tight hold.

"Miss Endo, are you alright?" Risa asked gently as she and Riku helped the older woman to her feet.

Yayoi smiled as she patted Risa's hand and accepted the twins' assistance. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you, both of you," she said.

"You're welcome," Riku replied. "I'm glad we were able to beat that monster."

"Yeah, me too," Daisuke agreed as he and Satoshi approached the three women before shooting a glance in Yuichiro and Narumi's direction. "Though I really must admit, that Lucal bastard looked quite scary when you and Kimizuki riled him, Sato. I've never seen anyone wear so much make-up, even the little Miss Haradas," he joked, ignoring the annoyed glances the twins were sending his way.

Satoshi chuckled. "Well, it was quite necessary. I'm just glad Kimiziku was able to catch on quickly and played along so well."

"You're welcome," the pink-haired boy said as he walked up from behind Satoshi and Daisuke. "Though I'd appreciate it if you guys didn't talk about me as if I weren't here, Hiwatari."

Satoshi rolled his eyes. "Of course, Kimizuki. I meant it as praise, you know."

Kimizuki smirked. "I do. I was just kidding."

The three boys looked at each other for a moment before they busted into good-natured laughter.

Though he knew that the mission was far from over, Narumi said nothing but smiled and allowed his subordinates to have their moment. In a time of war, any reason they could find to laugh or smile was a good one, at least that's the way he saw it. The brunette sergeant was about to ask Yuichiro if she was unhurt before they both heard Yoichi calling out to them.

"Hey, Yuu!" Yoichi cried, waving to catch Yuichiro's attention before he raced over and threw his arms around her. Both suddenly recalled that day he'd found her, miraculously unharmed, after she'd run afoul of a vampire who'd broken out of a lab near their school and been thrown out of a window.

And the brunette boy was grateful that this time, Guren wasn't there to pull them apart.

"Hey, Yoi!" Yuu greeted as she returned the younger boy's hug. "Thank you for helping us; your timing back there was perfect!"

"Well, to be honest, we couldn't have done it without Shinya's guidance," Yoichi admitted as he turned his head towards the major general's direction.

Looking over Yoichi's shoulder, the ravenette found herself smiling at the sight of Shinya approaching with Takeshi at his side.

"I see…" she said. "I'm glad."

"Good to see you too, Yuichiro…" Shinya said good-naturedly.

"Likewise, Shinya," Yuu replied as she released Yoichi and asked, "How are Guren and the others doing?"

At the younger girl's question, Shinya frowned slightly. "I haven't seen them since we parted this morning," the older man confessed.

Yuichiro's brow furrowed in concern for her guardian and the rest of his squad. "And you haven't heard anything from them either?"

Shinya shook his head. "No…there was no time for anything like that. I know you're concerned for Guren, but, I assure you, he's more than capable of taking care of himself and his squad."

"That's what I told Miss Harada and the rest of the newbies earlier," Narumi added. "We've already done our part. Now, we should let them do theirs."

"But didn't you say we can assist them if we finished early?" Yuichiro persisted.

"Yes, we will if we don't hear from them soon, I promise you, Yuichiro," Shinya assured. "But for now, please trust them, trust Guren, like you've always done."

The ravenette sighed and closed her eyes, but she knew her superiors were right. Since the day he took her in, Yuichiro had never seen Guren fail to return from a mission alive and in one piece. She could only hope that won't be changing any time soon.

"Okay… I understand, Shinya."

 **SSSSSS**

* * *

"Everyone, stay back! Let me handle this!" Guren ordered before charging towards his opponent.

Though Guren had seen, and killed, quite a few vampires in his time, this one stood out from the rest. He was an incredibly obese noble vampire dressed like a circus performer. As ridiculous as that might sound, and look, it was clear this particular nosferatu was no joke, for he turned with surprising agility and hissed at him, his fingertips elongating into vicious claws.

Normally, Sayuri and Shigure, Guren's more fragile subordinates, had absolute faith in their commander's abilities to fight difficult opponents alone. But the sheer size of the vampire lord, Mel Stefano, was enough to make them have doubts since the monster made Guren look like a dwarf in comparison.

However, Guren charged forward, undeterred by the monster five times his size. He lunged, pushing his body to the limits as cut his sword through the vampire's thick fat and ribs, piercing his heart. Guren would never admit it, but he knew that his victory was likely made possible by Stefano's limited mobility in the narrow subway that served as their battlefield.

With blood dripping down his mouth and splattering onto his clothing, the elephant-sized vampire lord glared at Guren with his small crimson eyes.

"Don't think this means you've won, human worm!" he snarled. "It won't be long before the rest of your kind is enslaved by us!"

Unfazed by the threat since it wasn't the first time he heard one like it from a vampire, Guren shot Stefano a dirty look.

"Just shut up and die already, you pig!" Guren growled and finally sliced the weakened vampire lord in half to finish him off.

Still, despite both his victory and his bluster, Guren was in rough shape. Mel Stefano's girth had proven quite deceptive, for he was a far more powerful enemy than one would've suspected. Though Guren had slain the nosferatu, he was little better off: his dark uniform was caked with blood from the gashes made by his opponent's knife-like claws and his body ached all over from the bruises that were the result of being thrown around the subway like a rag doll.

Once his opponent was finally reduced to ash, Guren's legs finally buckled beneath him and he dropped to one knee, panting hard as he nearly plunged his sword into the concrete to maintain his balance.

"Shit…" he cursed softly. "That was too close…"

"Guren, are you ok?!" Mito asked in concern as she as well as Sayuri and Shigure surrounded their squad leader to help him up but Guren refused.

"I'm fine," he insisted. "Save your energy, all of you; you'll be needing it."

Mito scowled at Guren's remark. Unlike Sayuri and Shigure, who normally kept their opinions on Guren's state of mind and body to themselves, the crimson-haired woman was a bit more outspoken when expressing her disapproval of their squad leader's stubbornness and pride.

"What good will it do us to save energy if we lost our commander, sir?" Mito demanded.

"Yeah!" Goshi, who was secretly delighted to have an excuse to reprimand his superior, added with a wag of his finger. "You always act so tough, but anyone with eyes in his head could see that that fatso almost wiped the floor with you! It wouldn't have hurt to let us give you a little back-up! In fact, you could have kept at least a few soldiers to assist _us_ while we're at it too!"

"I won't deny that, Goshi," the lieutenant colonel admitted. "But think about it; if it was this hard for us, then it was definitely the right move to increase the manpower for all the other teams, especially Shinoa and Satoshi's squads."

Mito crossed her arms and gave her commander a hard stare. "Like I said, none of that will matter if we lose our commander," she repeated.

"Yes, I know," Guren agreed as he slowly stood up and sheathed his sword. Taking down Stefano had depleted his strength and energy, and he did not want to slow down his recovery by arguing with Mito. "That's why I sent Shinya to the surface; should I fall, he will take command over all the squads and continue the mission."

"You have excellent forethought, sir. That's why we need you alive to make full use of it," Shigure said as she wiped the blood off her commander's face using a handkerchief she had removed from her uniform pocket.

Although the raven-haired woman was of the same mind as Mito in regards to Guren's survival, she was a bit more discreet in expressing it.

"I agree," Sayuri said as she struggled to keep her emotions under control. "As strong as you are, I still wish you wouldn't push yourself so hard, Guren!"

Goshi, who stood behind the three women and watched the whole exchange in silence, could not help rolling his eyes. For as long as he could remember, Sayuri, Shigure, and Mito doted on their squad leader like he was the world to them. And years later, they extended that protectiveness to Yuichiro as well after Guren found and adopted her. Looking at his squad mates now, Goshi could not help but feel envious since he was sure neither Shigure, Sayuri, or Mito would spare him a glance unless he was dying. But the blond man tried to push the thought away since there were more important things that required their attention now.

Guren sighed but did not resist when Shigure wiped his face. "Fine, I understand. Next time, I'll have another squad assist us. Right now, we better get back to the surface and give Narumi and the newbies assistance if they haven't taken down Wesker yet."

Before anyone could reply, they heard a sudden clatter coming from the stairs of the underground subway as well as ragged breathing. A moment later, the sounds of staggering footsteps gave way to the dull thud of a body hitting the ground and crying for help.

"Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose!"

Turning around, Guren and the rest of his squad saw a young man with light brown hair and hazel eyes that he recognized as Eita Kusunoki, one of the MDC soldiers he sent to Nagoya City Hall earlier.

Guren rushed to the younger man's side, quickly falling to his knees as much as from his wounds as to examine Kusonoki's injuries. Taking care not to worsen the younger man's condition, he carefully turned him over.

"Kusunoki! What are you doing here?!" Guren demanded as he placed his hand over the younger man's wound, it was obviously a vampire-inflicted deep laceration across his abdomen, and it was bleeding profusely. Even for a battle-hardened soldier, Guren cringed when he noticed that Kusonoki's intestines were visible and looked like they were about to fall out.

When the younger man did not answer right away, Guren realized that he had lost a lot of blood and did not have much longer to live. Knowing that there was no way to sugar-coat the truth, Guren said in a calm voice, "I'm sorry, Kusonoki. You're not going to make it. For the sake of your comrades, I need a full report on what happened…please…"

After taking a moment to catch his breath, the young soldier named Eita Kusunoki, looked Guren in the eye and said, "I…I'm sorry, sir. The plan failed. The thirty-man attack team you sent to Nagoya Hall have been defeated by the vampires."

Guren released a soft gasp but tried not to let the wounded young soldier see how shocked he was. "How did that happen? Did one of our own betray us?"

"N..no sir; we were overpowered. Even so, the vampires were not interested in us. They want you —asked for _you_ specifically—to meet them at city hall."

"And why should I do that?" Guren asked as his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Because they only killed ten of us. The other twenty were taken hostage…"

At the younger man's confession, Guren gritted his teeth. He had fought the vampires long enough to know what they did to human soldiers they managed to capture alive; they were either tortured to death or kept alive a bit longer to serve as playthings for their captors until they ended up being sucked dry. The ones who were unfortunate enough to capture a vampire's fancy were turned to share the same damned existence as their dames or sires. Should that happen, it was the Demon Army's policy to kill soldiers who had been converted to vampirism since there was no known way to reverse it.

Trying not to think about the grim fate that awaited the captured soldiers if he did not give in to the vampires' demands, Guren turned his attention to the dying soldier in his arms and did his best to comfort him in his last moments.

"I understand…" he said gently. "You need not worry anymore, Kusonoki. I'll take care of it."

The younger man entered a brief spasm of coughing before he apologized for failing his commander. "I…I'm sorry, sir! We failed you!"

Guren shook his head. "No... you did no such thing. The fault lies entirely with me for setting up a flawed plan. In any case, its not your problem anymore. You've done your duty well, now rest; you deserve it."

As much as it pained him to see yet another young life senselessly slipping away before him and knowing that he was powerless to prevent it, Guren did his best to reassure the dying soldier in his arms that his sacrifice was not in vain. Without turning around, the lieutenant colonel called for blond subordinate.

"Goshi...if you please…"

Knowing exactly what it was his superior wanted, Goshi nodded before raising his pipe to his lips. "I'm working on it, sir. He'll go in peace." ***4***

Kusonoki's features relaxed as he felt the pain slowly melt from his body. He knew his end was drawing near but used the last of his strength to smile and reach out to the man he admired and respected so much.

"It…it was an honor serving under you, sir…"

Although Kusonoki's hand was stained with blood and grime, Guren took it without hesitation.

"Thank you… your words mean a lot to me. Catch up with the others in heaven and I promise you, we'll win this war—for all humanity."

The younger man said no more but nodded in acknowledgement before he finally closed his eyes for the last time. Even after Kusonoki had passed, Guren held him for a few moments longer before finally lowering him to the ground and crossing his arms over his chest in a gesture of respect. It also pained Guren to know that these empty subway ruins were to be his final resting place, but it could not be helped. Another hard lesson the lieutenant colonel had learned in times of war was that there was often no time to give full honors and a proper burial to those who've fallen in battle.

Although none spoke, the rest of Guren's squad was well aware of this grim truth and observed a moment of silence out of respect for the young soldier who had managed to find his way to them, despite his terrible wound, to give their commander a warning.

When Guren finally stood up, Mito took the opportunity to speak the words that had been on her mind since she heard Kusonoki's confession earlier.

"Guren… As much as I hate to ruin the moment, I have to warn you that this is a trap."

"You think I don't know that, Mito?" Guren replied coldly without turning around.

"No one is saying that, my lord," Goshi began as he lowered his pipe. "But knowing you, I bet you'll go anyway."

Instead of answering, Guren said, "We're going to reinforce Narumi, Shinoa, and Satoshi's squads. Once we do that, I am adding a new target to our hit list. The one currently located in the Nagoya City Hall."

"And who might that be?" Sayuri asked curiously as Shigure and Mito listened in silence.

"A thirteenth progenitor. The same one we saw back in Shinjuku: Crowley Eusford."

 **Footnotes**

 **1\. In most vampire lore, a vampire can be killed by direct exposure to sunlight or by driving a stake through their heart before slicing off their heads. In the Seraph series, common vampires could be killed with the power of demonic weapons but stronger vampires can survive decapitation and withstand sunlight exposure though it will cause them great pain.**

 **2\. Vampires in the Seraph series can easily re-attach their severed limbs. Even humans contracted to demons can do so though it is not seen in the manga thus far, only in the LNs.**

 **3\. In the anime, Wesker chose to commit suicide before the squads could bring him down but in the manga version, Narumi kills him. For my AU, I stuck with the manga version with a bit of talk before Narumi deals Wesker the death blow.**

 **4\. In canon, its not clear what kind of illusion Gosh made for Kusonoki before he passed away but I assumed it was something to ease his physical pain so he could die in peace.**


	20. The Puppetmaster from the Shadows

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This fic is an alternate retelling of the Nagoya Arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta reader, ResidentialPsycho, for her help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!**

 **Chapter 20: A Puppet Master from the Shadows**

 **Nagoya City Hall**

"Chess, dear, I really think you should stop before you suck that poor thing dry…" Horn Skuld, a voluptuous blonde vampire woman of Swedish descent, said to her younger companion. Who was gorging herself on one of the soldiers they captured earlier.

"Hmm… What was that?" the "girl" in question asked in a muffed voice. Even so, she showed no signs of stopping despite the fact that the young man she was drinking from was growing weaker in her arms. His face grew deathly pale as he whimpered in pain and his breathing grew shallower.

Although Chess Belle appeared no older than a maid of eighteen, she was just slightly over a century of age. However, she was still younger than Horn who was nearing her second century of life. Or "unlife", as humans often called vampire existence.

Horn sighed. Judging from Chess's childish behavior, she guessed it was true that in addition to vampires ceasing to physically age once they were turned, their psychological growth was halted as well, at least in Chess's case. ***1*** Since Horn herself had not been turned until her early thirties, she was far more mature than Chess Belle. Like Lacus, the French-Italian vampire girl had little control over her thirst and often ended up killing the humans she fed from.

"I said you _really_ should stop before you kill the poor thing…" Horn repeated with a hint of impatience in her voice. Were she still human, the blonde vampire would have been slightly frustrated at her younger companion's stubbornness.

At times, Horn felt like she was baby-sitting Chess by constantly having to remind her to at least _attempt_ to control her thirst and behave.

Knowing that the stubborn vampire girl wasn't going to listen until it was too late, Horn sighed and quietly walked over to grab Chess by the scruff of her neck before yanking her away from the hostage. And just in time to save his life.

"Hey, what the hell, Horn?!" Chess yelled angrily after being thrown to the other side of the room by the older woman. After hitting the wall and landing on the floor with a thud, she wiped her bloody mouth and glared at Horn.

"Don't get mad, dear. It's your own fault for not listening. To lure the other humans here, we need to keep these ones alive: at least for the moment. Got it?" Horn answered coolly.

Chess crossed her arms and stuck her tongue at the blonde childishly. "Fine! I swear, you're so bitchy sometimes, Horn! So what if I killed the human? There's plenty more where he came from. Isn't that right, Lord Crowley?" she asked as she turned to the maroon-haired vampire lord who had been sitting at his desk reading papers.

Without looking up, Crowley merely said, "I agree with Horn; it wouldn't hurt for you to try and restrain yourself from time to time, Chess."

The purple-haired vampire frowned in disappointment, her jaw dropping at her lord's casual answer.

"W..what? Not you too, Lord Crowley!" she pouted.

Pleased with her small victory over Chess, Horn decided to change the subject once the moment had passed.

"My lord, if you don't mind my asking, do you really think the commander of these human soldiers will take the bait and show up? I'm sure he's smart enough to realize we've set up a trap for him."

Crowley's lips curved into a slight smirk as he set the papers he was looking at earlier onto his desk.

"Oh, he'll show up, all right. Make no mistake about it. After all, he was bold enough to lead an attack on a vampire stronghold like Nagoya, right? A man like that wouldn't abandon his subordinates so easily, no matter how hopeless it may seem. I should know…"

"Because you used to be just like him, correct?" Horn surmised. ***2***

Crowley nodded before giving his blonde aide a look of acknowledgement. "It looks like you know me too well, Horn. In any case…"

Horn raised a brow. "Yes?" she asked curiously.

Instead of answering right away, Crowley got up from his desk and quietly walked over to the comatose hostage whom Chess had nearly drained earlier. Although the young man had been greatly weakened by the loss of blood, his breathing was steady and even, indicating that there was life in him still, thanks to Horn's intervention.

But that wasn't the vampire lord's concern now.

"Hey, what're you doing, Lord Crowley?" Chess asked curiously after she stood up and brushed herself off.

"I just want to test a little theory of mine," Crowley began after unsheathing the sword of the unconscious human soldier lying on the floor. Even though the young man still lived, he was barely clinging on to life as his body struggled to replenish the blood that was stolen from him. "Would you mind coming here for a second, Chess?" he asked politely.

"Yes, of course. What do you need, my lord?"

"You'll see…"

The younger vampire blinked for a moment but obeyed and approached Crowley. When she was finally close enough, a sword swung at her face. Startled, Chess drew her blade. The clash of steel echoed throughout the room and sent her, ironically, flying back to the same wall Horn had thrown her against earlier. And this time, with enough force for her to make a hole in it.

Chess felt the wall crack behind her as the wind flew from her lungs. Even with her vampiric speed and reflexes as an eighteenth progenitor, she could barely react in time to block Crowley's blow.

"Owwie! What's the big idea, Lord Crowley!" Chess pouted even though she wasn't seriously hurt and they both knew it.

"Just trying to keep you on your toes, my dear!" Crowley answered good-naturedly before becoming serious again. "So, what do you think of this human's weapon? Could it be superior to ours?"

Chess shook her head as she slowly got up. "No, I don't think so. Any weapon is super strong in your hands, Lord Crowley!" she answered. Like Horn, Chess adored Crowley and could never stay miffed at him for long.

"I thank you for the praise, but that wasn't the answer I was looking for, Chess," the vampire lord replied with a hint of amusement.

"Then may I ask, what exactly _were_ you thinking, my lord?" Horn asked as she approached with her arms crossed.

Crowley turned his back to his blonde retainer as he examined the cursed katana, turning it in his hand this way and that.

"I was wondering how it's possible for the humans to gain this much power in so short a time. You see, humans are willing to go to any lengths to gain power, even at the risk of their own destruction. Even so, I doubt they were ever as strong as they are now."

"What are you getting at, my lord?" Horn pressed.

Crowley lowered the katana slightly. "Call me crazy, but I have the feeling that someone, somewhere, is leaking out information to the humans."

"So, you're implying that one of our own has turned traitor?"

"The thought has crossed my mind. And not just anyone, but someone high up with access to classified information."

"W..what? No way!" Chess protested. "How is that even possible?"

"Well, how about I demonstrate?" Crowley answered mirthlessly as he sliced open his palm with the human's weapon. To the amazement (and shock) of his retainers, the resulting cut did not heal.

"My lord, how could this be?" Horn gasped as she deftly grabbed Crowley's injured hand and examined his bleeding palm.

"Simple. The human's weapon has some sort of enchantment on it that prevents my injury from healing. "It's also safe to assume that even more powerful versions of it exist… High-ranking cursed demonic weapons, which even nobles cannot take lightly" the vampire lord answered calmly.

"D..does it hurt?" Horn asked in concern.

"A little," Crowley answered, touched by his retainer's concern—at least, as much as a vampire could be. "But not much. You can drink from it if you want, my dear…"

At the offer, Horn blushed while Chess almost literally turned green with envy.

"Hey, no fair!" the purple-haired vampire girl protested.

"That's enough!" Horn said sharply. "You already drank yourself silly on that human's blood today, Chess. Now, it's my turn to drink."

"Hmph!" Chess scoffed as she crossed her arms and looked at the other vampire with disdain. Horn may be right, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

Without another world, Horn raised Crowley's hand to her lips and started licking the blood off his palm in an almost erotic manner.

As he watched his blonde retainer indulge herself on his blood, Crowley turned his head slightly and looked out the window of the office, his thoughts on who the mysterious vampire traitor could be.

 _Could it be Ferid? Or Queen Krul? Or maybe… No. It can't be. No human could be behind all this. It_ _'_ _s just not possible. Or is it...?_

 **SSSSSS**

"Shinoa, what time is it?" Yuichiro asked while palming the hilt of her sheathed sword, a habit she had picked up from Guren whenever she became restless or uneasy. And like her mentor, waiting wasn't Yuichiro's strong suit.

After eliminating Lucal Wesker, Narumi, Shinoa, and Satoshi's squads gathered at an empty plaza with a large water fountain located near an abandoned subway entrance to await their other comrades as well as their superior and his squad.

And to Yuichiro's and everyone else's surprise, their squads were the first and only ones at the designated meeting place. Not one word had been heard from the other teams, including their commander's, as of yet. This alarmed Yuichiro since she expected Guren and his squad to be the first to eliminate their targets and be waiting here for her as well as the rest of her comrades from Narumi, Shinoa, and Satoshi's squads. All fifteen of the gathered MDC members looked around the plaza with growing unease for any hint of Guren's squad while secretly fearing the worst.

Judging from the concerned expression on Shinoa's normally cheerful face, the ravenette could tell that her squad leader was of the same mind as herself regarding Guren. Even so, Shinoa could not resist the urge to tease Yuichiro a little.

"You asked me that just a moment ago, or don't you remember, Miss Hyakuya? In fact, this is the third time." the purple-haired girl answered light-heartedly though she still pulled out her pocket watch to check the time, if only to pacify Yuichiro for the time being.

Yuichiro was startled and slightly embarrassed at her squad leader's revelation. "No, I didn't," she insisted while turning slightly away from Shinoa so that her squad leader couldn't see her blush.

"Yes, you did. You may not remember because your mind is preoccupied by other things, but I do. What's the matter, Yuu? Are you worried about Guren?" Shinoa teased with her usual impish grin.

"W..what? Of course not!" Yuichiro protested furiously while trying to hide the blush that just would not go away no matter how much she willed it to. "Why would I worry about that baka? You know as well as I do that he can take care of himself and his squad."

"I'm not denying that, Yuu," Shinoa said. "But just because we know our comrades can take care of themselves doesn't mean we'll ever stop worrying for them, even Guren. It's called 'caring,' and you're obviously closer to him than any of us."

Yuichiro shot Shinoa an annoyed look. Like her favorite brother, Shinya, the purple-haired brat had an uncanny way of knowing everything.

"I really don't think that's any of your business, Shinoa…" Yuu began as she tried her best to keep her voice down so that the others wouldn't overhear the sensitive topic she was discussing with her squad leader.

Shinoa looked like she wanted to laugh but resisted the urge by biting down on her lip slightly. As much as she would love to keep teasing Yuu about her affections for Guren, Shinoa knew that now was not an appropriate time. Instead, she decided to change the subject and finally answered the other girl's question despite it being the third time she had asked out of concern for her mentor.

Even if she denied it.

"Well, if you must know, its 14:13, Miss Hyakuya. And all teams were given until 14:15 to exterminate their targets before re-grouping here."

"And what if they don't show up, Shinoa?"

The purple-haired girl closed her eyes for a moment before finally releasing a sigh and snapping her pocket watch shut.

"Then we'll just have to assume that they're dead and continue the mission without them," she answered simply.

"I think that would be easier said than done without our commander…" Yuichiro muttered before she realized what she was saying.

At her subordinate's words, Shinoa finally couldn't resist anymore and her face split into a wide grin.

"See, you _are_ worried about Guren! I knew you cared!" she teased.

Realizing that Shinoa had easily interpreted the true meaning of her words earlier, Yuichiro felt her face growing hot and was about to tell Shinoa to shut her trap when suddenly, her ears perked up at the sound of footsteps in the distance, and she immediately withheld her intended scathing remark

Turning, all three squads gathered near the water fountain saw a young dark-haired woman leading little more than half a dozen wounded soldiers, many who were limping in pain, to the designated meeting spot upon completing their mission. Incredibly enough, the other soldiers arrived exactly on time despite their painful-looking injuries.

"Where is Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose?" the team leader, Aiko Aihara, asked. Although she appeared to be in just as much pain and discomfort as her subordinates, the young woman still maintained a good posture and air of dignity while paying no mind to her injuries, something Yuichiro found impressive and admirable.

"He isn't here yet," Shinoa answered. "How are you faring, Sergeant Aihara? Did you complete your mission?"

The older woman shot Shinoa a look as if she were daft. "Do you think my team and I would have made it back here if we didn't?"

Kimizuki frowned after he took a quick glance at what was left of Aihara's team. "If I recalled correctly, the other squads took on their targets in groups of three with fifteen people each…"

"Yes, that is correct, Kimizuki," Narumi affirmed quietly to the pink-haired boy as he, too, made a cursory glance at Aihara's team. Judging from the fact that the other sergeant came back with half the soldiers she left with earlier, it didn't take him long to figure out what happened to the rest of them. "But from what I can see, there are only eight or so people here, including Sergeant Aihara herself."

Although Narumi had not meant for his words to be heard, the other sergeant had sharper ears than he thought and heard every word. Aihara sighed, crossed her arms, and closed her eyes before turning away from Narumi and Kimizuki.

"You don't have to rub it in, Makoto Narumi. Yes, its true, I lost half of my soldiers, but at least we completed our mission. Not all of use are lucky enough to do that without losing anyone."

Despite the fact that Aihara was doing her best to control her emotions as was expected of an MDC officer, it was painfully obvious that she was devastated by the loss of her soldiers.

Narumi frowned, eyebrows furrowing in concern with sympathy apparent in his eyes for his fellow team leader and her subordinates who were not as fortunate as himself and the squads under his command.

"I'm sorry, Miss Aihara, that was very insensitive of me," Narumi apologized. "I should have known better. My condolences to you and your crew."

Aihara shook her head. "No, there's no need to apologize. It was my flawed leadership that costed my subordinate their lives."

Before Narumi could reply, Yuichiro cut in as she approached the older woman and pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket and offered it to Aihara.

"I disagree. Even with the best leadership and intentions, there will always be things beyond our control. Trust me, I know all about it…" Yuichiro said, her voice growing quiet and solemn as she remembered how the escape attempt from Sanguinem by the Hyakuya orphans under Mikaela's leadership ended in disaster.

Aihara blinked and stared at Yuu for a moment before finally accepting the handkerchief and used it to wipe the blood off her face.

"Thank you…" she began before trailing off. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe I got your name."

"It's Yuichiro… Yuichiro Hyakuya."

The older woman lowered Yuu's handkerchief and gave her a look of surprise. "Yuichiro? Your parents actually gave you a boy's name? Why?"

Despite having heard the question countless times, the ravenette rolled her eyes before answering. "It's a long story, one I'd rather not get into if you don't mind."

"I see… You're the girl who was dueling with the lieutenant colonel earlier, weren't you?"

"Yes, that's right. I'm glad you remember, but that's not important now. If you don't mind my saying so, I really think you and your soldiers should get some rest. You all look totally beat."

Aihara snorted. "Really?" she asked sarcastically. "What gave us away?"

Normally, Yuichiro hated sarcasm, especially since she got it from Guren constantly, but decided to let the older woman's slightly rude remark slide knowing what she had just been through.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up," Yuichiro apologized.

Feeling a twinge of guilt for her lack of courtesy towards Yuichiro when she was only showing concern for her, Aihara apologized.

"No, it's not your fault. I'm the one who was being rude. I appreciate the offer. I think my soldiers will be happy to take you up on it too."

"It's all right, there's no need to apologize," Yuichiro insisted. "I'd imagine I'd feel the same if I was in your shoes."

Relieved that Yuichiro did not take offense at her earlier remark, Aihara finally smiled, her eyes showing her gratitude.

"Thank you for understanding, Miss Hyakuya. I'd offer to return your handkerchief, but I assume you won't be wanting it back anymore," the older woman said good-naturedly.

Under normal circumstances, Yuichiro would have laughed at such a statement, having seen similar situations with borrowed handkerchiefs in western movies, but refrained from doing so out of consideration of their current situation. ***3***

"It's ok. I don't need my handkerchief back; you can keep it. I recommend that you and your crew take a break. My squad and I can keep watch for the time being," Yuu replied with a touch of humor that indicated that she never expected to actually get her handkerchief back.

Aihara was about to say something else when both young women heard a merry laughter coming from behind Yuichiro.

"My, who died and made you squad leader, Miss Hyakuya?" Shinoa teased.

Satoshi rolled his eyes at the other squad leader's remark. "You know, it's funny you say that, Miss Hiragi, because there are times I really think Yuichiro would have made a better squad leader than you. At least she's serious enough not to make _two_ squads late for an important briefing and then get them hazed in front of the entire MDC."

Instead of getting defensive or even taking offense at Satoshi's chiding, Shinoa merely brushed it off with a wave of her hand.

"Now, now, Mr. Hiwatari, no reason to dwell in the past. After all, it worked out, didn't it? That hazing we got from the lieutenant colonel and his squad significantly prepared us for the fight against Lucal Wesker."

Satoshi crossed his arms. "Hmm… I guess I can't argue with that," he admitted. "But I suppose you're right; we shouldn't be dwelling on it right now."

Narumi watched the exchange in amused silence for a moment before turning to Aihara.

"Don't mind them, Miss Aihara. Just take your crew and get some rest. The rest of us will watch over things for the time being."

Grateful that the other sergeant was giving her an excuse to leave, Aihara finally tucked Yuichiro's handkerchief in her uniform jacket and said, "Thank you, Narumi. We will do just that."

Narumi nodded his approval and all three of his squads watched as Aiko Aihara led her remaining soldiers away to get some much-needed rest.

After the sparse group was gone and out of earshot, Yuichiro's smile faded until her expression grew more solemn. Although the ravenette said nothing, her squad leader was quick to notice her change of mood.

"What's wrong, Yuu?" Shinoa asked in concern.

Yuichiro was silent for a moment before answering. "This happens frequently, doesn't it?"

"What does?"

"You now what I mean, Shinoa. The Demon Army has a very high mortality rate, specifically the MDC, doesn't it?"

Mitsuba scoffed even though her expression mirrored Yuichiro's own.

"You mean you figured this out just now, Yuu? Of course, people die; that's the reality of war."

Yuichiro looked about to make a snarky retort before Shinoa cut in. "I think what Miss Hyakuya means is that she didn't realize how frequently we can lose our comrades. She may have been raised and trained by the lieutenant colonel himself, but I can tell he still kept Yuu sheltered by not letting her join the MDC and sending her out to the battlefront until recently."

As much as Yuichiro hated to admit it, she knew Shinoa was right. And Guren's decision to keep her out of the MDC until she was truly ready was the correct one. Ironically, the ravenette was starting to miss the ignorance of war she once had. However, she tried to get her mind off it by changing the subject. ***4***

"Speaking of Guren, where is he?" Yuu asked. "As the leader of the best squad in the MDC, he should have eliminated his target and been here first."

Shinoa and Mitsuba looked at each other for a moment in silence as if not sure how to answer Yuichiro's inquiry. Fortunately, they did not need to for not long after Yuichiro mentioned the name of her mentor, the answer presented itself when they heard heavy footsteps coming from the entrance to the underground subway. Turning, everyone saw Guren and the rest of his squad slowly emerge and make their way into the plaza.

Judging from the way the older squad squinted and shielded their eyes briefly upon having the sunlight hit them, Yuichiro surmised that Guren's squad had taken longer to eliminate their target than she had originally expected. Either that or they probably got lost in the dark subway for a while before finding their way back to the world above.

Unable to resist the temptation to tease her mentor, Yuichiro grinned at him. "Glad to see you could join us, sir!" she greeted in a tone she knew would annoy Guren. "I was beginning to think you weren't going to make it!"

Guren shot his ward a look of annoyance while ignoring the perplexed glances Narumi and the rest of the three younger squads were sending him. No doubt they were wondering why he allowed Yuichiro to speak to him in such a way. But instead of answering her question, he gave one of his own.

"So, did you take your target down?"

"Of course. We wouldn't be here if we didn't. What about you?"

Guren gave Yuichiro a look as if she just asked him the dumbest question in the world.

"Duh, it was a piece of cake."

Yuichiro's grin grew wider. Knowing that all four squads present were watching them, including Guren's own, the ravenette couldn't pass up the opportunity to push the older man's buttons further.

"Oh, really? Then would you care to explain why you look like shit, sir?"

Not wanting to give Yuichiro the satisfaction of knowing she caught him in a lie since it was quite obvious by the dried blood, debris, and tears on his uniform as well as the dirt smudges on his face that he had indeed struggled in his fight against Mel Stefano, Guren simply said:

"No, Yuu, not really."

As both of them expected, Yuichiro's audacious question prompted mixed reactions from everyone present. Mito, Sayuri, and Shigure rolled their eyes while Goshi and Shinya clapped their hands over their mouths to stifle their laughter. Narumi and his squad were quite shocked by the ravenette's boldness while Shinoa and Satoshi's squads merely gave Guren and Yuu blank stares since they were slightly more used to seeing this kind of interaction between them.

Yuichiro was about to press the subject just a little further, but her mentor swiftly avoided the subject by turning to Narumi.

"So how was their teamwork?" Guren asked. "Did the rookies prove useful after all?"

The brunette sergeant shot a glance towards Yuichiro. Despite the fact that he had to jump in to assist the younger girl when she found herself in a pinch between Lucal Wesker and his servant, Esther Lee, the look Yuichiro gave Narumi told him that she would make his life a living hell if he dared to mention it to Guren. After careful consideration, Narumi decided not to risk it but still stayed as close to the truth as he could regarding the performances of the younger squads under his command.

"They all did very well. You'd never knew they were rookies. But I'm sure you can already tell since all of them have managed to return alive and in one piece."

After taking a brief glance at Shinoa and Satoshi's squads to make sure all ten members were accounted for, Guren nodded his agreement.

"I'm glad… No doubt the newbies gave it everything they've got, but I also commend your ability to keep them in line as well. You have my gratitude, Narumi."

Narumi was about to tell Guren to think nothing of it when both men heard a quiet female voice coming from behind them.

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant Colonel. Am I interrupting anything?"

Turning, Guren and Narumi along with the rest of their squads saw Aiko Aihara standing alone in the distance with a solemn expression on her face. Despite being in pain from the injuries she had sustain on her mission earlier, the young woman still managed to maintain a good posture and salute her superior officer.

Although her soldiers were not with her, Guren could tell from the look on Aihara's face that her team had sustained casualties. Being an officer of the Demon Army for as long as he had, it was a look the lieutenant colonel knew all too well.

"Sergeant Aihara… report…" Guren ordered softly even though he already had a very good idea what the younger woman would say.

"I'm sorry, sir. Eight soldiers have lost their lives under my watch because of my incompetence. Please forgive me!" Aihara cried as she took a deep bow before her superior.

Guren frowned and shook his head. "You've no need to apologize, Aihara. I am the one in charge of this mission, so their deaths are on my hands, not yours," he replied calmly.

"B..but sir..!" she protested, but Guren quickly cut her off.

"No buts!" he said sharply. "You still managed to bring at least seven of your solders back alive on top of completing your mission and for that, I commend you."

"R..really?" Aihara asked as she fought back tears.

"Yes…I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it," Guren replied before turning back to Narumi. "That's three vampire nobles down, but we still have five left to go. Where are the other teams? Any word from them?"

Narumi closed his eyes and shook his head. "No sir. Not one of them have returned and we've not heard any word from them either," he answered regretfully.

"I see… we have no choice but to assume that they're dead and even if they weren't, we can't afford to wait for them; we need to begin our next mission as soon as possible."

At her mentor's revelation, Yuichiro raised a brow. "What? We have another mission?"

"Indeed," Guren answered. "I just got a report from my higher ups that there are currently three vampire nobles staying at Nagoya City Hall. I believe you've met them before: a thirteenth progenitor named Crowley Eusford and his retainers, Horn Skuld and Chess Belle. I'm betting that they were the ones who defeated that thirty-person team we sent to city hall and took twenty as hostages. "

Yuichiro rested her chin in her hand and pondered the thought for a moment. "Crowley Eusford… Yes, I remember him! He was the noble with the build of a football player that we ran into on the way to Shinjuku and saw again when he joined with Ferid on the field!"

"Correct," Guren affirmed. "Our next mission is going to require a lot of people, so we must save the hostages. Therefore, I am ordering all four squads present here to go and eliminate Crowley Eusford as well Horn Skuld and Chess Belle. The three of them together will be our toughest opponents yet, so I need you all to stay sharp. We can mourn our fallen comrades later. Any questions?"

Before anyone in the other squads could ask the questions on their minds, Shinya raised his hand to catch Guren's attention.

"Guren, might I have a minute of your time?" he asked politely while making a slight beckoning gesture with his hand.

Guren wanted to tell his best friend that now was not a good time, but, since the other squads were watching, he decided it was better to grant Shinya's request and excused himself.

"Yes, what is it, Shinya?" he asked quietly once he and the other man were out of earshot of the others. "Please make this quick, we need to be moving as soon as possible."

Ignoring his friend's semi-harsh tone, Shinya simply smiled and asked, "Are you sure you want to do this, Guren? I don't think I need to tell you that this is a trap; the vamps will be expecting us for sure. Especially you. So why risk it?"

Shooting Shinya the same look he did with Yuichiro when she poked fun of his less-than polished appearance, Guren answered, "We don't have a choice. Even with nearly five squads, including Aihara's, we still don't have enough manpower to complete our objective, so we _must_ rescue the hostages."

Shinya sighed and frowned but approached his friend until they were standing side by side, shoulder to shoulder, and facing opposite directions.

"That's not exactly what I asked you, Guren," he began quietly as he gently gripped the other man's arm. "Yes, we do need the hostages if we want a better chance at success with our mission, but I know that's not the only reason you're willing to walk into a trap to save them. We lost a lot of good people today, and, even though I know this is not the first time you've had soldiers killed under your command, I also know that you've never been good at coping with it when it happens. I guess all I'm asking is if you're sure you want to go through with this? You know I'll support you either way, Guren."

Guren was silent for a moment as he allowed himself a quick glance at the four and a half squads under his command, of which many members were hardly more than children, out of the corner of his eye. ***5***

"I'll be fine, Shinya," Guren insisted. "It's not myself that I'm worried about. I don't care what happens to me as long as I can get everyone home alive and in one piece."

At his friend's answer, Shinya finally allowed his lips to curve into a small smile but refrained from grinning too much considering their current situation.

"I thought you'd say that, Guren. Well, if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, just know that my door is always open," he joked.

Irritated and embarrassed, Guren slapped Shinya's hand away. "No, thank you! If I'm gonna do that, I'll do so in private!"

"Oh, so you're admitting you _would_ grieve for our fallen, even though you're always trying to act so tough? You big softie!" Shinya teased.

"Hmph! Don't be ridiculous!" Guren snorted as he tried to straighten out his jacket. "Anyone with a heart would grieve for fallen friends and comrades. But there's a time and place for that, and this isn't either of those."

Shinya looked like he wanted to say something else, but Guren, not wanting to prolong this uncomfortable conversation with his best friend, quickly took the chance to walk back to where his subordinates were waiting for him.

"Listen up, everyone! We're going to be staging an attack on Crowley Eusford that will last ten minutes, no longer. If, by any chance, we cannot eliminate him and rescue the hostages in that time, we must leave them and move on to our next mission with the numbers we have now. Since we don't have time to dally here, I'll be explaining the plan while we're on the move."

"But what about the other teams that haven't reported in yet, sir?" Narumi asked while Shinoa and Satoshi looked at Guren in silence as if the same question were on their minds.

"As I've said before, if the others are not here by now, we must assume that they're dead and move on."

At their commander's seemingly cold answer, the four squads gave disappointed looks, even though no one questioned his decision. They all knew that once the commander of the Moon Demon Company made his decision, the discussion was over. But despite what others might think, Guren did value the opinions as well as their lives of those under his command and chose to give them a ray of hope. Turning to Aihara, he said:

"Aiko, I need you and your team to stay here for at least the next half hour to see if the other teams show up. If they do, I want you to relay my orders to them."

Aihara was startled at Guren's unexpected order, especially after hearing him say that he would not wait for their other comrades to catch up with them if they survived.

"But sir!" she protested. "Don't you need our help? Please take us with you!"

Guren shook his head. "No way. I can't allow anyone who cries on the battlefield to tag along."

At her commander's unexpected words, Aihara blushed and quickly wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve. Until Guren mentioned it, the young woman had not even realized she was crying.

"I..I'm sorry…" she began but Guren cut her off.

"Relax, Aiko. I was only joking. I can tell you and your team are exhausted, and I need you all to conserve your strength for the next part of our mission as well as wait for the others if they are alive. Stay here for at least half an hour. If nobody shows up by then, you can consider them dead and meet us at Nagoya Airport. Understand?"

Aihara released a sigh of relief and her face brightened at the notion that she could still yet be of use to her commander.

"Yes, sir! Thank you!"

Glad that at least one of his subordinates was in good spirits again, Guren allowed a small smile to tug at his lips briefly.

"That's the spirit. Remember, I'm counting on you and your crew. Don't let me down."

"Understood. We won't, sir."

"Good…I'm glad," Guren replied before becoming serious again and turned to Narumi, Shinoa, and Satoshi.

"Narumi, Shinoa, Satoshi, all of your squads will accompany me and my squad to Nagoya City Hall to exterminate Crowley Eusford and his minions and save our comrades!"

Excited as well as hopeful, everyone raised their weapons into the air to show that they were with Guren. With four squads working together in the fight against Crowley and his retainers, they all knew that their chances of victory were much greater.

"Yes, sir!"

Now that he was certain everyone was with him, Guren turned to Shinya, who gave him a nod of approval. They both knew that going after Crowley was no joke and that it was imperative that Guren had everyone's support and cooperation if they all wanted to return alive.

(And in one piece.)

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. While observing Krul's, Lest's, and Chess's behavior in the anime and manga, I've noticed that vampires turned at a young age can behave childishly at times as if their mental as well as their physical growth has been stunted, probably because they never had a chance to experience adulthood as humans. Even among demons, Asuramaru can behave childishly at times.**

 **2\. In his human days, Crowley Eusford was a knight who fought in the Crusades during the Middle Ages and it was against the code of Chivalry for knights to abandon their comrades no matter what. Because of this, he knows Guren would willingly walk into a trap to save the hostages he took.**

 **3\. In western pop culture, there are many TV, movie, and cartoon scenes regarding handkerchiefs where one character offers a handkerchief to console another who uses and sometimes offers to return it but the person offering the handkerchief is put off by the snot and tells the recipient to keep it for comedic purposes.**

 **4\. Like male!Yuu, fem!Yuu used to be naive about war and possible casualties. Guren was aware of this so he kept fem!Yuu somewhat sheltered by having her guard the walls until he deemed her ready to join the Moon Demon Company.**

 **5\. Since Aiko Aihara lost at least half of her team, I referred to them as a "half squad".**


	21. A Fate Worst than Death

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate version of the Nagoya arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta reader and editor, ResidentialPsycho, for her help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!**

 **Chapter 21: A Fate Worse than Death**

"How do you feel now, Sergeant Aihara? I know the treatment is probably not as good as you would get back at base, but it's the best I can do," a field medic who had been tending to Aihara's injury, said as he removed the bandage that he had placed on his superior's forearm earlier to prevent her wound from being infected while waiting for her demon to heal it.

Aihara sighed and shook her head before pulling her sleeve back down over her newly healed forearm that had sustained a deep gash from a particularly nasty vampire she encountered in the battle where she lost more than half her crew.

"No, it's all right, Yoshi," she said from her seat on the fountain to the young man kneeling before her. "We learn to make do with what we've got, and your efforts have been more than enough. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" he asked in concern. "If you need, I do have some medication that will help with any lingering pain you might have in your arm."

"Yes, I'm sure," Aihara replied. "It's nothing I can't live with. Plus, we should save our medical supplies as much as possible for real emergencies."

"Of course, ma'am. I understand. Speaking of which, it's been almost half an hour since Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose left, hasn't it?"

Aihara reached into her uniform and fiddled around for her pocket watch to check for the time. As her medic surmised, it was almost time for her and the rest of the soldiers under her command to leave and catch up with Guren because the squads he ordered her to wait for were still nowhere in sight.

 _Nobody is here yet. Could they all really be dead?_ She thought grimly with a frown.

Although Aihara wanted to keep her crew's spirits up, she had to acknowledge the possibility that their other comrades might have perished by the hands of the targets they had sought to eliminate.

"You're right, Yoshi. Wait here and I'll call for the others…"

The young medic was about to reply when both he and Aihara heard a relatively weak voice call out to them.

"Sergeant Airhara? Is that you?" A young female soldier asked as she limped painfully ahead of the handful of other soldiers who had managed to make it back alive from their last vampire encounter. And from the looks of it, the new squad appeared in even worse shape than Aihara's own- not only did they have fewer soldiers, they also lost their commanding officer as well.

"Yes, it's me!" Aihara answered as she jumped from her seat on the fountain. Ignoring her own pain and discomfort, rushed forward to catch the young woman limping weakly towards her before she collapsed to the ground. "Are you all right, Sayo?" Aihara asked in concern as she looked the other soldier over and found to her relief that she did not have any life-threatening injuries at least.

"I'm all right," the young woman answered as she slowly righted herself. "I'm sorry we're late. As you can see, our commander fell, and I had to take his place as second in command. I regret to say that bringing back only three of our crew is the best I could do under the circumstances."

"There is no need to apologize; you did the best you could, and I commend you for bringing back at least three of your comrades alive," Aihara assured her. "Truth be told, I wasn't sure if any of us would return alive at all."

The other woman looked like she wanted to say something else when both she and Aihara heard what sounded like war planes above them.

"Shit, they've found us!" Aihara cursed.

"What are we going to do, Aihara?!" Sayo cried. "We could be outnumbered!"

The other soldiers, who had also noticed the approaching enemy, prepared to draw their weapons and awaited their superior's orders.

"Stay back!" Aihara ordered. "The lieutenant colonel is at Nagoya Airport, so I'll act as a decoy and hold them off while the rest of you can escape and meet him there!"

"But ma'am…!" Sayo protested.

"No buts! Let me handle this; that's an order!"

The other woman sighed but nodded in obedience before putting some distance between herself and Aihara and joining the other soldiers.

Once she was certain there was no chance of her subordinates being caught in the crossfire, Aiko Aihara drew her demon weapon, a longbow, and took careful aim at an aircraft carrier in the sky above them before firing.

With her precision and hawk-like vision, the young sergeant succeeded in striking her target, causing the aircraft carrier to explode in mid-air but not before a crew of hungry vampires managed to jump off and descend on her own rag-tag group of soldiers. Aihara had no time to tell them to run before she found herself surrounded by three vampire soldiers, one with black hair, another with purple, and a blond who stood out from the rest because of his crystal-blue eyes, which she noticed when he landed right in front of her.

"Don't look surprised, human. I just have a few questions for you…" he said calmly even as his face betrayed no interest.

Alarmed, the young sergeant reached for her back-up weapon, a firearm like the one Yuichiro usually carried. But Mikaela did not give her the chance to use it when he swiftly grabbed Aihara by the front of her uniform jacket with one arm and lifted her into the air.

"Don't even think about it," he warned. "You and your crew are outnumbered, so it's best if you simply surrender."

"Like hell, we will!" Aihara snarled even though she knew the blond vampire was right. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw what was left of her squad and Sayo's being surrounded and cornered by the vampire soldiers who were confident that there would be no escape for them.

Or so they thought.

"Everyone, do it!" Aihara screamed.

Before any of the vampires could catch on to her meaning, the human soldiers started dropping dead like flies, many in the grip of their captors, after their commander gave the order that only they could understand.

"Hey, what's going on?" Lacus asked in confusion as he shook the corpse of the dead soldier he was holding onto by the neck before turning to Rene. Though the older vampire said nothing, Lacus could tell he was wondering the same thing.

Being the most perceptive of the three, it didn't take Mika long to figure out what happened when he saw Aihira's mouth moved slightly as if she was about to chew on something she had been hiding. He swiftly stuck two of his fingers in her mouth and pulled out whatever it was before slamming her to the ground hard.

"So that's what it is," the blond said coldly even though he kept his voice low enough not to be heard by two companions as well as other vampire soldiers. "You were hiding some kind of poison pill in your mouth. Very clever. Your loyalty to your kind is admirable, a quality we sometimes lack. Unfortunately, I can't let you die just yet; I have some questions for you."

The young human woman glared at her assailant defiantly and fearlessly. "Fuck you…" she spat. "You won't get anything out of me no matter what you do so save yourself the trouble and just kill me now. Or I swear, I'll kill you later!"

If he were still human, Mikaela might have laughed at Aihara's threat, but right now he had other priorities.

Like finding Yuichiro.

"I don't think you understand the position you're in, _woman_ _,_ " Mika replied as he emphasized his captive's gender, confusing her slightly.

Thinking that the blond vampire was threating to torture and kill her if she didn't talk, Aihara sneered at him.

"You think I'd have become a soldier if I was afraid of death?" she challenged.

"I do not. But I think you've misunderstood me, Miss. What I mean is that there _are_ fates far worse than death."

"Oh?"

Mika narrowed his eyes at Aihara slightly while trying to look as intimidating as possible. He knew that if he wanted information on Yuichiro's whereabouts, he had to choose his words carefully and be discreet, especially with the other vampires nearby.

"I suggest you keep your voice down if you don't want the others to know you're still alive. Do you have any idea what becomes of humans we capture alive? Information isn't all my brethren are interested in. Contrary to what you've been taught, some of them do have _voracious_ sexual appetites. And… they don't mind sharing." ***1***

For a moment, Aihara's defiant demeanor and confident attitude faltered slightly, but that was all Mika needed to know she understood what he was talking about.

Still, she decided to test him further. "You lie…"

"Do you really want to find out if I am? There's only one thing worse than being a plaything for a vampire. Do you know what that is?"

Aihara was silent for a moment before asking. "What?"

"It's being a vampire's plaything for all eternity should you have the misfortune of capturing a noble's fancy like I once did. Now, do you understand?"

If the threat of death did not faze Aiko Aihara, the thought of becoming an undying, blood-sucking monster herself forever certainly did. Mikaela could see it on her face and knew he had her right where he wanted her before continuing with his inquires.

"But you need not fear. I'll let you escape if you pretend to be dead and answer my questions truthfully. Do you know Yuichiro Hyakuya? She's actually a girl but has a boy's name. The Moon Demon Company is not all that big, so I'm sure you must have run across her at least once."

As Mika had expected, the human woman in his grip looked surprised at the direction their conversation was heading, but that still didn't mean she would comply with him so easily.

"I don't know who are you are talking about…" Aihara answered quietly.

Mika's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Lying won't do you any good," he said as he reached into her uniform jacket and pulled out Yuichiro's handkerchief and, for a moment, Aihara thought she saw something akin to sadness and longing in the blond vampire's dark blue eyes. "Pink was one of Yuu-chan's favorite colors. And this handkerchief still has her scent on it. So, you want to start telling me the truth now?"

"Tsk, fine! Yes, I have met her once," Aihara finally confessed in dismay, not liking that Mika was able to call her out on her previous lie so easily. "She's the ward of Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose or so I've been told."

At the mention of Guren, Mikaela gritted his teeth as he summoned all his willpower not to break Aihara's neck for bringing up the man he believed to be manipulating and exploiting Yuichiro. Especially since Mika's issues with Guren had nothing to do with her.

"Do NOT mention that bastard's name in my presence, woman!" he hissed softly instead. "Just tell me where she is, now!"

"Any why should I sell her out to _you?_ Why are you so interested in Miss Hyakuya, anyway?" Aihara shot back.

"THAT is not your concern," he answered coldly before stashing Yuichiro's handkerchief in his pocket. "If you know what's good for you, you'd tell me what I want to know right now, or I can't promise I won't turn you over to my superiors."

Before Aihara could answer, they heard Rene calling out to Mika. No doubt the older vampire was wondering what he was doing that was taking so long.

"Mikaela, what are you doing? Does that human woman interest you so much?" Rene asked curiously.

Mika shook his head as he slowly stood up and faced his companion. "No," he answered calmly. "Why would she?"

Lacus snickered at the blond's answer. "Oh, please. Did you think I wouldn't notice that that human has dark hair just like your precious Yuu-chan?"

Mika glared at him. "And what's it to you, Lacus? Not like it matters since she's dead anyway."

"Oh? Did she kill herself just like the others?"

"Yes."

Upon hearing Mika's answer, Aihara had to restrain herself from gasping aloud as she wondered why the blond vampire would lie to his companions to protect her when she had yet to provide the answers he sought.

Lacus raised a brow. "You know, the loyalty these humans have for their superiors can be scary…" he admitted. "Not to mention stupid. Don't they realize that they just threw their lives away for nothing?"

"Ha, that sure sounds funny coming from an ex-Nazi officer, Lacus!" Mika sneered. "Your own loyalty to your _Führer_ and his twisted ambitions costed you your human life during the last great war, so you shouldn't talk!" ***2***

Knowing that Mikaela was right, Lacus scowled and was about to make a snarky retort when Rene cut in like he always did when he sensed things were going to get ugly between his two companions.

"That's _enough_ , you two," Rene said, his voice raised slightly to ensure he had Mika and Lacus's attention. "In case you've both forgotten, we do have a mission. And that's to find out exactly what happened here. As one of the larger territories inside this city, this area was supposed to be run by Lords Wesker and Stefano, yet neither have been answering the queen's summons, so we were sent to investigate."

Forgetting his displeasure at Mika, Lacus turned to Rene and asked, "Do you think they were killed by the humans? That can't be possible! There's no way those weaklings can ever take down a noble!"

"Never say never, Lacus," Rene replied in a low voice as he dropped his knees to examine what appeared to be the ashes of his vampire brethren on the ground. "Humans are more intelligent and resourceful than you give them credit for."

As if to confirm Rene's suspicions, the trio heard the loud voice of a vampire guard calling from the entry of the subway where Guren and his squad had battled Mel Stefano earlier.

"Hey, you're not going to believe this, but all of the vampires underground have been massacred! Their ashes are scattered all over the place, and we think that Lord Stefano may be among them!"

"Clarify!" Rene ordered. "What exactly happened?"

"I'm not sure, sir," the other vampire guard answered. "But some of the livestock claimed that a group of humans wearing dark military uniforms showed up and murdered Lord Stefano along with his bodyguards! They said the group was led by a man with dark hair, pale skin, and purple eyes!" ***3***

Mika balled his fists slightly as he tried his best not to let his displeasure show at the mention of the man he knew fit Guren's description. He also knew from their brief encounter in Shinjuku that if there was someone who could lead a small group of humans to victory against a vampire noble, it would be Yuichiro's guardian.

Lacus, on the other hand, found himself whistling at the surprising revelation. As prideful as the purple-haired vampire was, even he could admit when he was wrong about something.

"This _is_ disturbing…" Lacus confessed. "If its true what the livestock say, then maybe we should start worrying."

"Of course," Rene confirmed. "No matter weak our enemies may seem, its always wise to be cautious on the battlefield. That means we must protect the next noble who's likely to be on the humans' hit list: Lord Crowley Eusford who resides at Nagoya City Hall."

Aihara gasped softly when she heard Rene's plan. Thinking quickly, she grabbed a piece of glass that was lying on the ground next to her before jumping to her feet and grabbing Mika from behind, placing the crude weapon against this throat.

"Freeze, all of you!" she shouted. "Make one move, and I'll cut your little friend's throat out!"

At the sound of Aihara's voice, both Lacus and Rene turned around to face her and her new hostage.

Unfazed, Lacus chided his blond companion while ignoring the human woman holding a wickedly sharp piece of glass to his throat.

"Sheez, Mika, I know you can be a bit slow sometimes, but at least _try_ to ensure your targets are truly dead."

"Never mind that," Rene said flatly. "If she's still alive, capture her; she might be able to tell use something useful. If not, I'm sure the higher-ups can find other uses for her."

Lacus sighed. "Whatever you say, Rene…" he began as he took a step forward.

Alarmed, Aihara pressed the glass shard slightly harder against Mikaela's skin, nicking him and causing a thin stream of blood to trickle down his throat and into the collar of his uniform. Even so, the blond did not flinch.

"I said don't move!" she shrieked even as the sweat on her brow betrayed her nervousness.

Incredibly, the other two vampires obeyed. While neither of them may genuinely care for Mika, both Lacus and Rene knew that Queen Krul would have their heads if they dared to return to Sanguinem without him. ***4***

"Don't do anything foolish, human…" Rene warned softly as he shook his head and wagged his finger in a scolding manner at Aihara like he was reprimanding a child.

"Why did you move?" Mika asked Aihara quietly as he looked at her out of the corner of his eye even as he stepped back slightly to keep up with his captor's pace. "You realize that they'll never let you go now that they know you're alive, don't you?"

"It doesn't matter anymore," the human woman answered in a low voice, making sure she was quiet enough not to be heard by anyone but Mika himself. "Miss Hyakuya is heading to Nagoya Hall with her squad and guardian. If you let your brethren go there, she could very well end up being killed."

At the revelation, Mika gasped softly before quickly reaching behind him and grabbing Aihara by the wrist, pulling her in front of him, so he can look her in the eye.

"Is that really true?" he demanded. "Just a minute ago, you were prepared to go to your grave without revealing Yuu-chan's whereabouts and now you're telling me exactly where to find her. Why? Why trust me now?"

"B… because what you called her, 'Yuu-chan.' And the fact that you know she's a girl. It made me assume that you two are close. If that is so, then you must get there first if you want to find her alive…"

Taking the hint, Mikaela quickly threw Aihara to the ground and regarded her coldly. "Just a moment ago, you ordered your subordinates to die, yet you chose to play dead to save your own neck," the blond began, making sure he was loud enough to be heard to be heard by Lacus and Rene. "As far as I'm concerned, that is already a betrayal of your comrades. But since they're already dead, it won't make any difference if you talk. Do that, and _maybe_ I'll spare your life."

Aihara blinked in confusion for a moment but quickly caught on to Mika's unspoken plan.

"Fine!" she hissed while giving him a dirty look. "What do you want?"

"Where are the rest of the humans who attacked this place?" Mika demanded. "Talk now!"

To make their act look more convincing, he kicked Aihara in the side while trying his best not to hurt her too much.

Unfortunately, the blond's vampiric strength made this very difficult. Even when holding back with all his effort, Mika's attack was roughly equivalent to a strong human kicking their hardest and Aihara cried out in pain as she felt her ribs crack after being knocked a few feet away and landing on her back.

Walking up to his fallen victim, Mika placed a booted foot on her throat like he saw Krul do to Ferid all those years ago during their spat at the gates of Sanguinem.

"Tell me…" he pressed, while making sure the pressure from his foot was light enough for her to talk. "Or I'll crush your throat."

Taking a deep breath, Aihara answered as loudly as she could. "The Demon Army sent a platoon of fifty to attack the automobile museum! Their orders are to assassinate the noble Zane Lindau!"

Satisfied with his captive's lie, Mika turned to Lacus and Rene to see if they bought it. "Who is Zane Lindau?" he asked.

Lacus stared at him incredulously. "Wow, you really don't get out much when you're not on missions, do you, Mika? Lord Lindau is a seventeenth progenitor."

"This isn't good," Rene said while resting his chin in his hand as if in deep thought. "If the humans know the names and location of the nobility, then they are a bigger threat than I originally thought."

"So, what should we do?" Lacus inquired.

"We have no choice. We must go to where the human said because if it becomes known that we did not act on this information as soon as we found out, it won't bode well for us," the older vampire answered.

"Ok, I get it. Let's go," Lacus said with a roll of his eyes before turning to Mika who was looking down at the dark-haired human woman sprawled on the ground. Aihara said nothing, but the slight look of approval in Mika's eyes told her that their plan worked.

Bending over slightly, the blond's expression softened and he whispered "Thank you, you have my gratitude. Now play dead for real this time. It may very well be your last chance to escape."

Aihara looked at Mika sadly. "No.." she said. "I can never go back to the army now that I've ordered my subordinates to die. There's nothing left for me now, so just kill me and be done with it."

"Nothing?" Mika pressed. "Are you saying you don't have _anyone_ waiting for you back home? Like your parents? Siblings? Friends? I have a hard time believing that."

"I can never face them if it ever becomes known what I've done."

"But at least you will live. Isn't that enough? Leave the army and start a new life somewhere else. Your superiors and their cause aren't as noble as you think. Don't throw away your life for nothing."

Aihara looked like she was about to say something else when they hard Lacus call out to Mika.

"Hey, Mika, are you coming? Take the human along! She might still have other useful info for us! If not, I can always use a new toy!" the purple-haired vampire snickered.

"A corpse can't tell you anything, Lacus; she's dead. I crushed her throat while you and Rene were chit-chatting over there." Mika said coldly as he stood up and faced his two companions.

Rene raised a brow. "Are you sure, Mikaela?" he asked while pointing over the blond's shoulder. "For a corpse, she still looks very much alive to me," he said.

Gritting his teeth, Mika looked over his shoulder and saw Aihara blow her last chance for him to spare her life by slowly scrambling to her feet while summoning her demon bow and taking aim at him.

"Bastards! I'd rather die than suffer the humiliation of being held captive by filth like you!" she screamed before firing her weapon. As Mikaela predicted, the human woman's aim was slightly off and her demonic arrow missed him. It wasn't hard for him to figure out what she was trying to do.

 _I am sorry, human_ _. Y_ _ou leave me no choice…_ Mika thought sadly before releasing an energy wave from his sword directly at the woman who gave him hope of finding Yuichiro before his superiors did.

This time, there was no mistaking the fatal wound his attack inflicted on Aiko Aihara as she collapsed to the ground dead for good but not before her lips curved into a small smile of gratitude for granting her final wish.

"Aww, you killed her!" Lacus pouted. "For a human, that woman wasn't bad-looking! If you didn't want her, I would have been happy to take her off your hands, Mika!"

The blond looked at his companion in disgust. "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to play with your food, Lacus?" he sneered.

Lacus grinned. Even though he thought Mika was a goody two-shoes, he had to admit that the younger vampire was an endless source of entertainment for him when riled. "I don't know, maybe?" he answered. "If she did, I don't remember since it's been over eighty years since she died."

"Never mind that," Rene said with a roll of his eyes. "The fact that these humans are willing to die for their leaders and their cause is something we should be concerned about. If they really don't fear death, who knows what else they're capable of? In any case, we'd best head to the automobile museum to protect Lord Lindau. Are you coming, Mikalea?"

Mika shook his head. "No… You two go on ahead. I don't trust what that human said so I'll go check out city hall."

Rene looked at him curiously. "By yourself?"

"Yes. Will that be a problem?"

"I don't think that's wise. Take at least five of our soldiers with you. I don't want to be held responsible by the queen should you fail to return to Sanguinem for any reason."

Mika sighed but chose to take his companion's advice. He had hoped that by going to city hall alone, he would be able to find Yuichiro and take her away from her guardian without rousing suspicion among his fellow vampire guards. But if he refused Rene's recommendation, his intentions would come off as suspicious anyway.

"I understand, Rene," the blond said as he sheathed his sword and slowly walked away from Aihara's body but not before sparing her one final glance.

 _Were you trying to protect Yuu-chan?_ Mika thought curiously before his expression became cold again. _No, you couldn't have been. You were just using her, just like that cursed man who commands your squads. There's no way any organization that orders its people to die could be on the side of justice._

When he realized what he had just thought, Mika found himself fighting the urge to laugh bitterly lest his companions suspect that he was up to something.

 _What am I talking about? Justice? Such a thing has no meaning in today's world. Not like it matters anyway. What matters is that I find Yuu-chan and take her as far away as I can._

Finding comfort in the hope of finally being reunited with his orphanage sister for good, Mika took out Yuichiro's pink handkerchief from his pocket, which had a mixture of her scent and Aihara's, and pressed to face while ignoring the dirt and blood on it.

 _Just hang in there, Yuu-chan! I'm finally coming for you!_

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. In canon, the OnS vampires have extremely diminished emotions and no sexual desires. For my AU, emotional intensity and sexual desires vary between individual vampires.**

 **2\. The personal history of Lacus Welt is currently not known in canon but his surname made me assume he is of German descent so I made up his history for my AU as a former Nazi officer in his human life.**

 **3\. In real life, pale skin and black/dark hair vaguely describes most Japanese as well as Chinese and Korean people but in anime, their hair, skin, and eye color can vary.**

 **4\. Neither Lacus nor Rene have an genuine concern or caring for Mika. In my AU, they only protect him with their lives because they know he is Krul's favorite as well as adopted son.**


	22. A Promise Between Friends, Part I

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate version of the Nagoya arc with events different from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta reader, ResidentialPsycho, for her help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!**

 **Chapter 22: A Promise Between Friends, Part I**

Yuichiro shuddered as her eyes took on the disturbing sight before her. After leaving Aihara and her crew behind, Guren led his elite squads to where he believed Crowley Eusford and his retainers were residing. Not surprisingly, their intended target left his hostages on full display in the courtyard of the ruins that had once upon a time, been Nagoya's City Hall.

Despite the fact that all four squads were hiding on top of a taller building across from city hall, it was still quite easy to see the captured soldiers since they were all tied to tall wooden crosses crucifixion style.

"This reminds me of Ancient Rome…" Yuichiro breathed. "I wonder if Eusford was a vampire turned during that era? ***1*** Those soldiers won't last long exposed to the elements like this, Guren. If we're going to do something, we'd better do it fast."

Guren lowered his small spyglass, the same one he used in Shinjuku, for a moment before smiling at Yuichiro. "You're right, Yuu. Crucifixion is a slow and painful way to die. Even so, we cannot rush head on into a trap without a plan."

"Well, thank you for stating the obvious, _sir_ _,_ _"_ Yuichiro shot back with a roll of her eyes. "What do you suggest we do?"

Shinya and Goshi, who found no end of entertainment seeing this kind of interaction between their friend and his ward, had to stifle a chuckle since now was obviously not an appropriate time. Unlike Yuichiro and the rest of their crew, the major general had a good idea of what his friend had in mind but asked just the same out of courtesy.

"Good question, Guren. What _should_ we do?"

Guren turned and looked at his best friend as if he knew Shinya had the same plan in mind as himself.

"Simple," he answered coolly. "I'd like you, Yoichi, and Takeshi to snipe at the noble from here to see if we can lure him and his minions out."

"And if there's more of them than us?"

Guren sighed. "Then we have no choice but to abandon the hostages and run."

Yuichiro gasped even though she tried her best not to let it show how much her mentor's orders disturbed her. Trying her best to remain calm, Yuichiro said, "What? Are you serious, Guren? I thought the whole point of coming here was to rescue our comrades, or am I wrong?"

"No, you are not wrong, Yuu," Guren answered calmly. "At least, not entirely."

Confused, the ravenette was about to ask her guardian what he meant, but Shinoa beat her to it. As someone who has been in the MDC longer than her friend, the purple-haired girl already suspected that saving the hostages wasn't their number one priority after all.

"Sir, what _is_ our top priority on this mission?" Shinoa asked after making a gesture for Yuichiro to remain silent.

"Our top priority is to maintain our current numbers at all costs. Freeing the hostages and getting them out alive is actually our second priority and, should things go south, we must leave them behind and escape."

Yuichiro was confused. "I don't understand, Guren. Surely you can't be serious about abandoning our comrades just to save ourselves?" she inquired, trying her best to keep her voice down. Even if he did tolerate her questioning his orders from time to time, Yuichiro knew getting into an argument with Guren in front of the other squads wouldn't look good.

Especially not when they were within arm's length of enemy territory.

"Yuichiro…" Guren began as he searched his mind for a way to explain his plan to her that wouldn't make her go ballistic. Normally, he was very blunt when giving unpleasant orders but the lieutenant colonel's affections for his ward made him a bit more protective of her feelings.

Before Guren could answer Yuichiro's question, Narumi cut in. "I think I know. You want us all to survive this mission whether we are successful or not because there is another one you need us for after, am I right?"

Although annoyed that Narumi would cut in on his and Yuichro's discussion like that, part of Guren was also relieved that the young sergeant saved him the trouble of explaining the grim situation to her.

"Yes. Our true objective here is to keep the blood-suckers occupied for as long as we can to buy time for the main forces in Shibuya to get fully organized."

"What? Are you saying that our purpose here is to be decoys?" Kimizuki demanded.

"It is. After this, I'm hereby declaring the Vampire Noble Extermination Mission complete. If we can eliminate Crowley Eusford, Horn Skuld, and Chess Belle, the ones in city hall, we will have eliminated five out of our original eight targets. It's not perfect but should still be good enough."

"So, when do we start our next mission?" Satoshi asked curiously.

"I'm getting there," Guren explained patiently. "Once we free the hostages, or done whatever we can for them, at least, we need to draw as much attention to ourselves as possible while surviving as long as we can. So that's why…"

Turning to his best friend, Guren moved his head slightly in a silent request for Shinya to simplify the plan for any of their respective subordinates who may not understand his first explanation.

"Yes, yes, its quite obvious. The plan is basically to cause a ruckus before running away…" Shinya said with a touch of humor while summoning his demon rifle. "And if it works, we may even rescue the hostages in the process. At least a few of them, assuming we're lucky."

"Right," Guren continued. "And if it works well, the other squads who finished their part of the mission will hear the commotion, join us, and we'll attack the vampires in city hall en-masse and finish them off."

Shinya could not help but laugh at the other man's less-than-likely prediction. "Haha! You have no idea if that's gonna happen, Guren! For all we know, they could all be dead!"

Guren glared at him. "Always the pessimist, Shinya," he sneered. "It's not exactly helping."

"I prefer to call it being a realist," his friend corrected before turning to Yoichi and Takeshi. "Follow my lead, boys; I require your assistance in bombarding the city hall building itself."

"Yes, sir!" the two young archers answered in unison as they readied their bows and followed Shinya to the edge of the building.

"All right then," the major general began as took aim with Byakkomaru and gave his subordinates their next orders, "I'll aim for the forth floor and below while you boys aim for the fifth floor and above."

"Understood, sir," Yoichi said while drawing his bowstring and taking aim at his ordered target.

"Will you be able to hit your target alone, sir?" Takeshi asked in concern while following Shinya's and Yoichi's lead and drawing his own crossbow.

Instead of being offended at having his orders questioned by a subordinate, the major general merely smiled at Takeshi. If anything, he was touched by the boy's concern.

"It's all right, Takeshi, I know what I'm doing. Just follow my orders."

"Yes, sir!"

As soon as he saw the three snipers take aim at the building where Crowley, Chess, and Horn were hiding, Guren turned to the rest of his squad as well as the other squad leaders under his command.

"Positions, everyone! Brace for a vampire counterattack!"

Shinoa, Satoshi, and Narumi nodded and relayed the orders to their own squads.

"You heard him! Everyone, get ready!"

As the four squads behind them readied their own weapons for the vampire counterattack they knew would come, Yoichi and Takeshi looked through the scopes of green and red light provided by their demonic bows to see if they could spot any vampires through the windows of the building they were taking aim at.

"See anything yet, Saotome?" Takeshi whispered from his spot besides Yoichi.

Yoichi was about to say that he didn't see anything yet when he spotted a familiar well-built vampire with maroon hair standing at a window and gazing outside.

"Yes!" he answered, his voice a mixture of excitement and nervousness as he briefly turned to Shinya. "Sir, I see a vampire standing by a window on the fifth floor! He must be a noble! Permission to shoot before he notices we're up here?"

Not wanting to miss such a golden opportunity, Shinya gave the order for both the younger snipers to fire. "Yes! Do it now before he notices!"

"Right! Ready Takeshi?" Yoichi asked.

The other boy grinned. "Way ahead of you, Yoi."

"Go, Gekkouin!"

"Fly, Miss Menou!"

Drawing back their bowstrings in sync, both archers fired at the building as soon as they saw Crowley begin to turn around and walk away, hoping that their demonic arrows will strike him down before he even had a chance to register what happened.

Holding their breaths, Yoichi and Takeshi watched as their demonic arrows, which began their flight as straight beams of light before stretching and contorting into the shape of a blackish-green crow and a fiery red phoenix, struck the building in the distance and resulted in an ear-shattering explosion.

"Did we get 'em?" Takeshi asked excitedly as he lowered his crossbow while waiting impatiently for the smoke to clear.

Yoichi, whose vision was slightly sharper than that of his sniping partner's, gasped when he caught sight of Crowley grasping his demonic crow in one hand and Takeshi's phoenix in the other after the smoke had cleared enough for him to catch sight of the vampire lord. From the look of calm indifference on Crowley's face, it appeared as though he caught the missiles before they even had a chance to touch him. The other boy's heart sank when he too, finally caught sight of the noble chucking aside his and Yoichi's demonic bird-shaped arrows as if they were mere toys and shot them a smirk. Being a vampire, it was no problem for the vampire lord to spot his would-be assassins, even from such a distance.

"I see…" Crowley said calmly. "So, the humans have finally come as I thought they would. Horn! Chess! Prepare yourselves! The fun is about to begin!"

Although Yoichi and Takeshi could not hear what Crowley was saying, they knew he was speaking to his two female retainers.

Turning to Shinya, Yoichi apologized for his perceived blunder first. "Sir, I'm sorry but I screwed up again!"

"Yeah, me too!" Takeshi added.

Shinya, who had been scanning the building and watching the younger archers, lowered his rifle. Guren stood behind him, looking at the damaged side through his spyglass.

"No… both of your timing and shots were spot on," Guren corrected with a perplexed expression. "There's no way the bastard could have dodged that. Even if he _is_ a noble."

Shinya frowned when he realized his friend was right. "I can see that…" he agreed grimly with a frown. "This can only mean one thing…"

"What?" the boys asked.

"That this noble must be insanely powerful. And he's only a thirteenth progenitor; I don't even want to think about how strong the ones above him are."

"Is that so?" Yuichiro demanded. "Who is he?"

Yoichi was startled at his squad mate's question. "You mean you don't remember?" he asked, turning to Yuichiro with a bewildered expression. "We've met him and his retainers before! He's the one we ran into on the way to Shinjuku! You know, the one who crushed our car like it was a soda can?"

Yuichiro gasped. "What?! Let me see!" the ravenette cried as she reached out and grabbed Guren's spyglass without even bothering to ask for his permission. Her mentor scowled slightly at the discourtesy but said nothing and allowed Yuu to use his spyglass to confirm her suspicion about the vampire lord Yoichi and Takeshi had attempted to take down.

Since it was Yuichiro's first time using a telescope of any kind, it took her a few moments to adjust it before she was able to make out Crowley's familiar form and realize that Yoichi was indeed correct.

"By God, it _is_ him!" the ravenette gasped, remembering how the maroon-haired vampire lord had teased her before praising her skill with the sword though Yuichiro wasn't sure if he did so out of genuine respect or because he took her lightly.

"You're right, Yuu," Guren confirmed from behind her. "He's powerful, and so are his retainers. There may be twenty-one of us but we'll still have a hell of a time taking those three down. Not only that, we also have to worry about any vampire guards they may have stationed around city hall. If we try to take them head on, we won't stand a chance."

"Than what are we going to do, Guren?" Yuichiro demanded as she turned around and handed her mentor's spyglass back to him.

"Well, we have two choices," Shinya answered grimly. "We can either kill the hostages ourselves to spare them from being interrogated or worse and then we run. Or we can take our chances splitting up to rescue them before running. The question is, which option will keep more of us alive in the end?"

Yuichiro gasped at the older man's suggestion. "Hey Guren, are we really going to abandon those soldiers down there? They _are_ on our side after all."

With the same question on their minds, Shinoa and Satoshi held their tongues and allowed Yuu to speak instead of reprimanding her for questioning their superior. But like Shinya before him, Narumi did not give Guren the chance to answer his ward.

"Do you think killing the hostages would be the better choice in this situation, sir? We've got the advantage of being beneath the vampires' notice considering that they haven't even bothered to make a counter-attack against us yet."

The ravenette spun around and glared at Narumi for his outrageous suggestion. "What!? Surely you cannot be serious, Narumi-san! Aren't _they_ supposed to be our allies in this blasted war!?" Yuu demanded as she pointed down to the courtyard below while trying her best not to raise her voice too much. ***2***

The brunette sergeant gave Yuichiro a reproachful look, but she did not fail to notice the anguish in his eyes at what he suggested.

"I am sorry, Miss Hyakuya," Narumi began patiently while trying to keep his own emotions in check. "But this isn't any easier on me than it is on you. Despite what you may think, I _do_ have friends down there, but I also know that it's imperative that we survive to carry out our next mission as well. And believe me when I say that our comrades are better off dead than alive in the hands of the fangs."

Shinoa frowned in disappointment despite agreeing with Narumi and from the look on Satoshi's face, she knew he shared the sentiment.

"So just to be clear, our mission here is just to be decoys to buy time for our forces gathering in Shinjuku, correct?"

Guren nodded. "Right. We have to make the vamps think that we're actually attacking Nagoya."

"So, in other words, we put on a flashy show to fool them. Which means we have no choice but to fight, correct?" Satoshi asked.

"Correct," Shinya answered as he turned around to take his own aim at the building Yoichi and Takeshi were targeting earlier. "However, the odds of victory are very slim with that noble and his retainers around. They know this, so they're waiting oh-so-patiently for us to come to them."

"How can you tell?" Yuichiro asked.

"Easy," Shinya answered. "The arrogant bastard is smiling at me right now with his women by his side. Thanks to the scope on my rifle as well as my own impeccable eyesight, I can easily see their smug expressions from here."

The ravenette frowned. "Oh…then we better come up with a plan and quick. So, what did you have in mind, Guren?"

 **SSSSSS**

"Well, this is awkward," Crowley said with a touch of humor as watched the group of humans on the taller building in the distance. "Aren't they gonna shoot again? It's obvious they're here to try and exterminate us. Or maybe they're biding their time and trying to form a plan…"

"Could be," Horn agreed. "Shall we go on the offensive, my lord?" the blonde asked.

Crowley rested his chin in his hand as if pondering the thought. "Hmm…that's tempting, but I don't think we should yet; after all, we have no idea how many of them there could be. Or what tricks they may have under their sleeves."

"In other words, they won't be so quick to strike again without a plan now that they realize their first attempt was ineffective. Am I right, my lord?" Horn asked.

"Yes. You're very astute, Horn."

The blonde was pleased at hearing her lord's praise, but Chess was confused and a bit slower to catch on.

"Huh? I don't get it. What are these humans playing at?"

Horn sighed before patiently explaining what she believed to be the humans' plan to her younger companion.

"What Lord Crowley means, Chess dear, is that the humans are preparing for an attack that could be powerful enough to wipe even the three of us out."

Chess gasped. "Seriously? No joke? Is that even possible."

Crowley's lips parted in a small smile as he gazed up at the sky. "I believe it is. Humans are smarter than you give them credit for, Chess. You'd do well not to underestimate them. In any case, it's best for us to stay put until we hear from Ferid. He will know how to deal with these troublesome humans, and I'd imagine that bringing him a gift of sorts wouldn't go amiss".

At the mention of the silver-haired vampire lord, Horn and Chess shot each other a worried glance before the purple-haired vampire turned to Crowley, her expression contemptuous.

"Lord Crowley, I _really_ don't like Lord Ferid. He's sneaky, tricky, secretive, and I can never tell what he's thinking or planning," Chess said, her voice full of disdain.

Horn nodded. "You know, I actually agree with Chess. Are you sure we can trust Lord Ferid?"

Crowley's answer to his retainers' concerns was a soft laugh. "Trust? I wouldn't go that far. Yes, he is sneaky and manipulative, of that I have no doubt. I'm also aware that neither of you girls particularly like Ferid, but even you have to admit that there is never a dull moment with him."

Horn sighed. "I suppose I can't argue with that, my lord."

"Yeah, me neither…" Chess agreed grimly. Even though she was normally slow to catch on to most things, the irony of agreeing with Horn on two things in a single day was not lost on her.

"Thank you. I'm glad you both understand," Crowley said as he turned to face Horn and Chess once more. "Anyway, here's our plan: we ignore the rest of the humans and just nab one or two of their officers since they're more likely have important info."

At Crowley's suggestion, Horn and Chess shot each other another quick glance before turning back to their lord.

"As you wish, Lord Crowley," they said.

 **SSSSSS**

"Here's the plan. My squad and _only_ mine will go after Eusford and his retainers. Narumi, Shinoa, and Satoshi, I want you to use the opening we create to free the hostages."

"But Guren, are you sure that you and your squad alone will be enough against those three?" Yuichiro asked. Despite their earlier disagreement, it was apparent to everyone else that she was deeply concerned for her mentor.

"Truthfully, no, it will not," Guren confessed. "My plan is not for us to actually defeat Crowley, Chess, and Horn, but to distract them long enough to buy the rest of you time to free the hostages and get away. At least, that's what I'm betting on."

"How long do we have? And what should we do after the hostages are free, sir?" Satoshi asked.

"You have exactly five minutes to free as many of them as you can. Whether or not you succeed, you must retreat as soon as the five minutes are over and make your way north where we'll regroup at Nagoya Airport."

"And once we arrived at the airport, then what?" Shinoa pressed. "Surely we must have another objective after that."

"We do," Guren confirmed. "However, we need not worry about it until we actually get there and receive the follow-up orders."

Shinoa suspected that her superior was not telling her something. And, judging by the leery expressions she could see, the rest of the squads had the same idea. She was about to ask Guren to clarify, but he did not give her the chance.

"Ok, enough stalling. We don't have much time so we need to get moving as soon as possible. Shinya, how's the enemy looking?"

"Hasn't budged an inch," the other man answered. "No doubt they are waiting for us to make the first move."

"So, are we gonna do it, then?" Mito demanded impatiently.

"Doesn't look like we have a choice," Guren answered before turning to Goshi. "Goshi, I need you to create an illusion to make it look like there are a few hundred of us storming city hall. You can do that, right?"

"I can, but not from here. To pull off such an illusion, I'd have to get a lot closer."

"Like how close?"

Goshi sighed before answering. "Like two hundred meters or closer."

"Is that so? Well, I suggest you get to it, Goshi," Guren answered simply as if the task was as easy pulling a childish prank on an unsuspecting victim.

Although it wasn't any of his business, Shinya could not help snickering at the blond man's possible death sentence. Were his back not turned to Goshi, Shinya might have gotten a glare from him.

"Knock it off, Shinya! Since you find this so funny, you can cover me so I can safely get close enough to pull off this little stunt!"

"Sure, whatever you say, Goshi!"

Shinoa watched the exchange between the three older men in amusement for a moment before turning to Narumi and Satoshi.

"So, what do you want to do, Miss Hiragi?" Satoshi asked. "Should we all stick together to free the hostages?"

Shinoa shook her head. "No, I don't think it's a good idea for us to be lumped in together like that; it could leave us more vulnerable."

"You're right, Shinoa," Narumi agreed. "If our objective is to free as many hostages as possible within five minutes, then I believe our chances are better if we split up. I think you and Satoshi should team up while I take my own squad ahead to cover you."

"Very well, Narumi. If this is what you think is best, we'll go along with your plan" Satoshi agreed.

Narumi nodded as he made a gesture for his squad to join him in departing but not before turning to the younger squad leaders and giving them his most reassuring smile.

"I'm glad we could come to an agreement. I know I've already said this, rookies, but no dying on me, you hear? I want to see all ten of you alive in Nagoya." After saying what he needed to his fellow squad leaders, Narumi's eyes fell on Yuichiro and his expression softened. "That especially goes for you, Miss Hyakuya. Try not to do anything reckless since I won't be there to cover your ass like last time."

Knowing that Narumi was referring to the time he intervened when she found herself caught in a pincer attack between Lucal Wesker and his servant, Esther Lee, Yuichiro smirked at him. They both knew she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he had a point. But Narumi supposed that was one of the things he liked about her.

"Ha! Like I could be taken down that easily! You worry about yourself and your squad instead, Narumi-san!"

Narumi's face broke into a wide grin. "Likewise, Miss Hyakuya."

"Hey, you guys done with the pep talk yet?" Guren demanded impatiently over his shoulder.

"Of course! Ready when you are, sir!" the brunette sergeant answered.

"Good. Now get going!" Guren ordered. "You've got five minutes to save as many as you can, and the clock starts now!"

Without waiting for the younger crew to respond, Guren suddenly jumped off the roof to begin the designated attack with the rest of his squad following suit. The younger squads were about to join them when they heard their own leaders call out to them.

"Wait!" Shinoa shouted.

"What is it, Shinoa?" Yuichiro demanded impatiently. "You heard what Guren said!"

"That's right, but you're all forgetting something! How're we gonna keep track of the time if we don't set our watches?" Satoshi added.

"Right," Shinoa added as she removed her pocket watch from her uniform jacket and held it in front of her with Satoshi following suit. "Everyone, quick, hold out your pocket watches like this."

Knowing there was no time to waste, the remaining eight members of both squads obeyed and held out their own pocket watches.

"Now everyone, set your alarms for five minutes from now. When the time is up, drop whatever you're doing and retreat immediately, understood?" Satoshi explained.

"Yeah, yeah, I understand," Yuu said. "Can we go now?"

Shinoa shot her subordinate a chiding look. Narumi was definitely right when he said Yuu was impulsive and unyielding.

"This especially goes for you, Yuichiro. I may have been lenient with you in the past, but this is one order I cannot afford to have you disobey; in five minutes, no matter what is happening, you _must_ retreat with everyone else, even if it means abandoning the hostages to fend for themselves."

"But…"

Shinoa quickly placed her finger on the other girl's lips. "No buts! We may be friends but I'm still your squad leader. Any errors you make can easily get you or someone else on our team killed, and I cannot let that happen, understand?"

Not wanting to waste time by arguing with Shinoa, Yuichiro finally relented. "Fine, I will. If five minutes is all we have, then we'll just have to make sure we rescue everyone within that timeframe, right?"

Shinoa could not help smiling at her friend's optimism, no matter how unlikely or unrealistic it may seem. Even so, the purple-haired girl chose to humor her friend.

"Yes, that's right."

"Ok, enough pep talk. It's really time we head out!" Satoshi ordered as he made the gesture for his squad to move before turning to Shinoa and silently prompting her to do the same with her squad.

"Right! You heard Mr. Hiwatari! Everyone, move out so we can rescue everyone in five minutes!"

Nobody needed to be told twice; as soon as they got their squad leaders' approval, both Shinoa and Satoshi's squads leapt off the building to join their older allies in Guren and Narumi's squads.

As was expected of the commander of the Demon Army's most elite forces, Guren led the attack on city hall from the very front with Goshi following slightly behind as it was necessary for him to get as close as possible for his illusion to be successful.

"Goshi, are you close enough yet?"

"Yeah!" the blond man answered as he raised his pipe to his lips to activate the planned illusion. "It's starting right now!"

The hostages, most of whom had passed out upon their crosses from exhaustion, woke when they heard the voices of their saviors calling out to them.

"Is that the lieutenant colonel?" one of them asked. "Surely, it must be an illusion!"

"The whole army is here!" another hostage cried. "We're saved!"

After ordering the rest of his squad to scatter and cut the other hostages loose one by one, Narumi jumped on the cross of a squad leader he recognized. Like the rest of his subordinates, the young man was exhausted as well as severely dehydrated, so he thought he must be hallucinating.

"Narumi, is that you?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

"Yes, it's me, Kato! I'm here with the rest of the MDC to get you and the others out!" Narumi answered as he used the blade of his trident to cut the other man loose while hoping that Goshi's illusory soldiers could hold off the attacking vampire soldiers long enough for Shinoa and Satoshi's squads to arrive and cover them.

Crowley, who had been watching the entire scene unfold before him as he stood looking out what used to be the wall of the building Yoichi and Takeshi fired at earlier, scanned the crowd of humans clad in black uniforms who were clashing with the vampire soldiers. Even with his vampiric vision, the maroon-haired vampire lord still had difficulty spotting what he was actually looking for.

Or more accurately, who.

"Ok now, so which one of you is the commander of this rag-tag group of humans foolish enough to raid my humble abode?" Crowley asked mirthlessly on no one in particular.

As if in answer to his question, he saw a raven-haired young man appear before him. From the look of things, he seemed to have jumped up from the floor below.

"Ask and you shall receive, bloodsucker!" Guren announced as he made his entrance and tried to take a swipe at Crowley with his demon sword, which the vampire lord blocked with ease using his own weapon.

"Oh, hey! I've seen you before!" Crowley said with a grin as his eyes took in Guren's face as well as the decorations on the man's uniform that indicated his rank. "Ah, so you must be the commander! Well, I do applaud your bravery coming to my doorstep since that saves me the trouble of looking for you."

"You're welcome!" Guren sneered as he took out a fistful of magical talismans from his pocket and flung them at Crowley. They both knew the attack wasn't going to be enough to kill him, but Guren was counting on it to buy some time for Shinya to assist him.

"Anytime you're ready, Shinya!" the lieutenant colonel shouted impatiently, annoyed that his best friend seemed to be taking his sweet time coming to his assistance.

With a chuckle, the major general finally made his entrance in an attempt to flank Crowley from the right while he was distracted by Guren. Aiming his demon rifle at the vampire lord, Shinya smiled coldly.

"I guess this is checkmate, vampire. Bye bye!"

Instead of being intimidated, Crowley merely smirked before grabbing Guren by the arm in the blink of an eye and flung him towards Shinya, sending them both crashing into the hallway of the building.

Mito, who had witnessed the entire scene from the courtyard below, cursed and clenched her gloved fists. "Dammit! This doesn't look good! Hold on, you two, I'm coming!" she called to Guren and Shinya despite not being sure if the men could hear her.

Sayuri, who also witnessed the scene, readied her own weapon. "I'm coming too, Mito!"

But before either woman could move, Goshi called out to them while grabbing Mito by the shoulder.

"No! Don't do it; if you go up there, you'll just get in the way. Let them handle this on their own! That goes for you too, Sayuri!"

Mito gritted her teeth but she knew that Goshi was right. She also knew her commander well enough to know that he would want her to obey his orders and not intervene, even for his own sake.

Narumi and Shusaku glanced up at the damaged building that Mito and Sayuri were looking at earlier, both of their brows furrowing in concern for their commander.

"This doesn't look good for the lieutenant colonel and major general, Narumi. What're we going to do?" Shusaku asked, lowering his weapon slightly.

Trying his best to ignore the sweat forming on his own brow, Narumi answered, "Simple. We follow the orders Guren has laid out for us from the beginning no matter what. It's what he would have wanted."

As cold as his friend's answer sounded, Shusaku knew Narumi was right. "I understand, Narumi. Let's go…"

 **SSSSSS**

"Shit, this doesn't look good…" Shinya groaned as he closed and locked the door of the room where he and Guren had chosen to hide after Crowley had flung them both into the hallway, creating a cloud of dust thick enough to obscure the vampire lord's vision and buy them enough time to escape and hide to catch their breaths, if only temporarily.

"You know, your constant pessimism is _really_ starting to tick me off…" Guren growled even as he managed to help Shinya pick up a few chairs to barricade the doors before climbing into another at the table in the middle of the room. From the look of their surroundings, the two men assumed they were in a room where city council meetings were held before the apocalypse. ***3***

Shinya did not respond right away but pulled out another chair across the table from Guren and plopped down on it while trying his best not to let his demon rifle fall out of his hands from exhaustion.

When he finally caught his breath, the major general managed a good-natured smile at his best friend.

"What, would you rather I bullshit you about our chances against this noble, Guren? We both knew from the start that he was way out of our league, yet I went along with your plan anyway, so at least give me some credit."

"Ok, fine; what do you want, a medal, Shinya?" His friend shot back irritably.

"No, but I would appreciate a bit of honesty. If you knew we had little chance of victory AND survival, why did you plan this suicidal attack?" his friend demanded before realization dawned on him. "Unless… you have a plan that you neglected to tell me?"

Guren managed a weak laugh. "What gave me away?" he asked. "Anyway, yes, I do have something in mind but in case it doesn't go according to plan, I have a favor to ask of you, old friend."

"And that is?"

Guren took a deep breath before answering. "If I do not make it out of here alive, I want you to take command of the MDC and complete the mission without me. But most of all, protect Yuichiro and do everything you can to ensure her survival no matter what."

Shinya raised a brow. "Me? I can understand you wanting me to take over command of the MDC but are you asking me to take over guardianship of Yuichiro as well?"

"Yes… I'm asking you because Sayuri, Shigure, and Mito tend to be a little too soft with Yuichiro, and I don't even want to think about what an idiot like Goshi would teach her."

Despite their grim situation, Shinya could not help but laugh at Guren's reasoning over wanting _him_ to take Yuichiro under his wing instead of their other squad mates.

"Ok, Guren, you have my word; I'll protect Yuichiro with my life."

As soon as he secured his friend's promise, Guren's mood lightened, even if just a little.

"Good. Now let's get moving; I'd like to get out of here before that bastard noble finds us."

"I'm afraid it's a bit too late for that," a smooth voice cut in, prompting both Guren and Shinya to stand up from their seats to face its owner. Followed by his two retainers, Crowley had entered the room from a large broken window on the other side. "You two led me and my girls on a wild goose chase back there, but now I'm afraid there's nowhere to run any more. So why don't you guys just give up and surrender? I'm sure Lord Ferid would be very interested in hearing what the both of you know."

"Ha, like we'd just give up so easily!" Guren sneered as he drew back his sword and prepared to attack the vampire lord who had just insulted his prowess in battle.

Shinya suppressed the urge to groan at his friend giving in to Crowley's taunts but rushed in to assist him nonetheless. To his amazement, neither Horn nor Chess made any move to intervene when he aimed his rifle at their lord, and it wasn't hard for him to guess why. As a warrior, Crowley relished the thrill of battle and preferred to fight his own battles alone unless he became caught in one he couldn't handle, which was very, very rare.

As for Guren, it took all of his willpower not to let the frustration show on his face as he watched Crowley easily deflect and counter his sword swings one by one while he was struggling just to stay on his feet.

"Dammit, I have no choice…" Guren muttered before jumping back and calling for his demon contractor, a creature he despised just as much as he needed in battle. "Come, Mahiru-no-Yo!" Guren ordered as he summoned and fired the red and black energy waves his demon sword emitted right into Crowley's eyes, hoping to blind or stun him long enough for Shinya to score a hit.

Realizing what the two men were up to, the vampire lord moved fast to parry Guren's attack before quickly turning around to deflect Shinya's demonic bullet, repelling it and causing some of the rebounding energy to strike the major general in the chest, causing him to cry out in pain.

Not surprisingly, the fighting stirred up another large could of smoke and debris and Crowley took a moment to clear his vision by fanning the air before his face with a hand.

"Give it up, you two, there's no escape…"

But as soon as the dust settled, Crowley quickly realized that he was wrong and that the human men had managed to fool him again after all. As his vision cleared, he noticed a new large hole in a nearby wall. That, and the fact that neither Guren nor Shinya were anywhere to be seen.

But instead of being offended, the vampire lord was actually amused at the humans' resourcefulness, admired it even.

"Oops…spoke too soon…" he said with a touch of humor. "It looks like I'm gonna have to start taking these guys seriously after all." Turning to Chess and Horn, Crowley made a beckoning gesture for them to follow him.

"Let's go, girls. It's been fun, but we can't let these guys get away or Lord Ferid won't be happy about it." The two vampire women nodded in obedience.

"Yes, my lord!" they said in unison.

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. According to the Michaela LNs, Crowley Eusford became a vampire sometime during the Crusades,** **a series of** **religious wars** **sanctioned by the** **Latin Church** **during the** **medieval period** **. Fem!Yuu only assumes he was turned during the Greco-Roman era because he displayed the captured JIDA soldiers on crosses.**

 **2\. Fem!Yuu has better control of her emotions and stay cooler in stressful situations than male!Yuu.**

 **3\. The room sit-in scene with Guren and Shinya is anime only. My beta reader points it out as being out of place and possibly unrealistic for them to be taking a break in a room considering that they are supposedly running for their lives from Crowley but I chose to keep the Guren/Shinya room scene so that they would have a chance to talk about fem!Yuu.**


	23. A Promise Between Friends, Part II

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate version of the Nagoya Arc with events different from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta readers, ResidentialPsycho and Falchion1984, for their help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!**

 **Chapter 23: A Promise between Friends, Part II**

Everyone in the Shinoa and Satoshi Squad nearly jumped out of their skin when they heard the sound of a loud explosion coming from one of the higher floors of the main Nagoya City Hall building, and it wasn't hard for any of them to guess what was happening.

"Shinoa, something's wrong! Guren and Shinya are in trouble; that noble must be more than they could handle!" Yuichiro exclaimed with a worried and fearful expression while pointing upwards.

"She's right!" Mitsuba agreed. "Now that all the hostages have been freed, we gotta help the major general and lieutenant colonel!"

Shinoa hesitated for a moment as if she wasn't sure what to do. She knew Guren well enough to know that he disliked having anyone intervene in his battles. But she also realized that Crowley Eusford and his retainers were not opponents Guren could take down easily, even with Shinya's help. Shinoa shot Satoshi a look as if asking him what he thought they should do since it was suicidal for her squad alone to go after Guren. That would mean charging into a vampire stronghold with no backup, which was a risky proposition to say the least.

Fortunately for Shinoa, her fellow squad leader was of the same mind as herself and Yuichiro. "I agree with Yuu and Mitsuba. We should go in and lend our superiors a hand since we're unlikely to survive, let alone complete our mission, without their leadership."

Relieved that she had Satoshi's support, Shinoa gave the order for her squad to move.

"Alright, everyone, let's go!" she ordered while Satoshi did the same with his own squad.

"You heard Miss Hiragi! Now move out but try to keep as quiet as possible once we're inside since we have no idea where the vamps may be hiding!"

Both squads obeyed and without another word, all ten members stormed the main building of Nagoya City Hall in the hopes that they would find Guren and Shinya before Crowley, Chess, and Horn did. With only four minutes left on their watches, the two squads knew they had to act fast.

Once they were inside the building, both squads found themselves in the run-down lobby that was now a shadow of its former glory that none of them could remember since they had all been young children when the apocalypse struck, and looked to their leaders to provide them with further instructions.

"Ok, so where do we go from here, Shinoa?" Yuichiro asked impatiently.

"Well, when we were with Shinya earlier, he ordered me and Takeshi to fire at the fourth floor while he fired at the fifth. So I'm guessing Crowley and his retainers must be somewhere in that part of the building," Yoichi answered.

"That may be true, but you forgot one thing, Saotome: now that they're chasing the lieutenant colonel and major general, the vamps could be practically be anywhere!" Takeshi pointed out.

Yoichi blushed in slight embarrassment when he realized his sniping partner was right and could not help feeling silly for not seeing something so obvious.

"Oh… I'm sorry, I didn't realize…" the brunette boy admitted sheepishly but Shinoa gave him a brief smile before becoming serious again.

"No, you're not totally wrong, Yoichi. In fact, it's very likely that you're right. But, to be sure, I can summon my demon. If Guren, Shinya, or the vampires are still here, Shi-chan can sniff them out."

"Really? How?"

The purple-haired girl gave a mischievous grin before becoming serious again. "Just watch!" she answered before closing her eyes, hands tightening around the handle of her scythe as she focused her thoughts to project to the demon within. Both squads present watched in silence as Shinoa's lips slowly repeated the order she formed in her mind to her demon contractor.

"Shi-chan, scout the enemy for me…"

For a moment, nothing happened and Satoshi considered asking Shinoa if she was sure her demon heard her before the scythe started to glow, signifying that the demon was summoned and present.

Normally, Yuichiro would have found discovering new abilities of other MDC members' weapons as well as her own fascinating. But her impatience as well as concern for Guren and Shinya prompted her to inquire their whereabouts as well as Crowley's right away.

"So, where are they?" Yuu asked impatiently.

Shinoa quickly placed a finger over her lips in a gesture for everyone to remain silent before raising her arm and pointing to the ceiling.

"They're directly above us," she answered quietly before turning to Satoshi and nodding towards the direction of the stairway leading to the next floor.

"Got it!" the other squad leader said. Trying his best to keep his voice low enough so their nearby enemies would not hear, Satoshi gave the order for both squads to follow Shinoa's lead.

"Everyone, head to the second floor and remember to stay in formation! Our lives as well as those of our commanders' may very well depend on it!"

Yuichiro didn't need to be told twice and, had she not known better than to break formation this time, would have rushed up the stairs by herself just to get a head start on finding Guren. ***1***

Even if it meant having to confront a powerful vampire lord such as Crowley by herself.

Shinoa, on the other hand, was secretly relieved to see her most difficult and rebellious subordinate behave herself and follow orders quietly for once.

Once they were sure both their respective squads were ready, the two leaders gave the order to depart.

"Let's go!"

 **SSSSSS**

"Shit, this guy just doesn't give up, does he?" Shinya rasped as he struggled to catch his breath after he and Guren had managed to escape from the room where Crowley, Chess, and Horn had cornered them earlier and back out into the hallway.

Although Shinya and Guren were fortunate enough to find a room where they could rest for a brief time, it still wasn't nearly enough for them to recover from the toll the battle with Crowley took on their bodies; it only felt like they had barely caught their breaths before the two men found themselves fighting and running for their lives yet again. By this point, both men had lost track of time but were easily reminded of how little they had when they started feeling the rebound effect of the curse stimulant drugs they took earlier- effects that included light-headedness as well as shortness of breath.

Irritated, Guren was about to give his best friend another earful for his constant annoying pessimism when he suddenly heard the sound of someone punching through the wall next to Shinya and saw a large hand that happened to be attached to a strong arm, grab him roughly by the front of his uniform. The major general gasped in pain as he felt their pursuer's gloved fingers digging into the muscles of his chest which had not yet healed completely from the injury he sustained earlier when Crowley deflected his demonic bullet.

"Let go of him, you bastard!" Guren shouted. Acting quickly, he swung his demon sword and sliced off the noble's hand at the wrist before he could injure Shinya further.

Pulling Crowley's severed hand from his uniform jacket, Shinya flung it to the ground before Guren quickly took his free arm and draped it over one of his shoulders. As much pain as both men were in now, they knew that they had no time to rest and had to get as far away from this dangerous vampire lord as they could before the drugs' effect wore off and left them completely helpless and at his mercy.

As they were sprinting down the hall, Guren did his best to ignore his own injuries while inquiring Shinya about his.

"Shinya, how bad is it? I'm sure that noble grabbed you where you were hit by the ricochet of your demon bullet."

"It's not great, but I'm sure I'll live!" the other man joked half-heartedly, which earned him a glare from his best friend.

"Well, if you're fine, then run on your own, dumbass!" Guren snapped.

"Aww, you can be so cruel sometimes, Guren!" Shinya pouted, feigning hurt before he became serious again. "I'm just kidding. I only need a few more moments, so bear with me a little longer, please…"

Guren rolled his eyes but gave in to his friend's plea before the pair heard a voice calling from a distance behind them. No doubt, it was the maroon-haired vampire lord, who leisurely broke down the wall in the room where he had cornered Guren and Shinya earlier to reclaim his severed hand. As soon as Crowley reattached it, he resumed his chase for the two human men who dared to venture into his domain and challenge him by themselves.

"Well, well, well! I can't believe you two managed to get that far ahead of me even with those nasty injuries of yours! Wait up, will ya? You know I hate running!" Crowley called in a casual tone from the other end of the hallway as he slowly started to pick up the pace from the steady strides he was taking to catch up to his prey.

"Fuck, he's just playing with us!" Guren snarled without looking back as he silently tried to encourage Shinya to move faster.

"Agreed," the other man said grimly before turning slightly and aiming his demon rifle at their pursuer. Even when holding the weapon with only one hand, the major general was still capable of hitting his intended targets with astounding accuracy.

"You hate running, freak? Then, why don't you quit following us!?" he shouted.

Crowley grinned and laughed mirthlessly as he easily deflected Shinya's tiger bullet with his sword. The noble knew that with his vampiric speed, it would be no trouble for him to easily catch up to two humans, even if they weren't slowed down by their injuries. But like a predator that enjoyed toying with its prey before the kill, he chose to humor Guren and Shinya by walking slowly at first before picking up the pace little by little.

"Quit following you? That sure sounds rich! After all, _you_ were the ones who attacked us first and now you don't want me to follow? You know I can't do that!"

Before either Shinya or Guren could respond, Crowley finally decided to get serious. Moving faster than the human eye could see, the vampire lord appeared to vanish from behind the two men before reappearing right in front of them with his sword raised to attack.

Alarmed, Guren knew he had to act quickly since Shinya's weapon would be of little use against Crowley at such close range. Before the other man knew what was happening, Guren quickly flung Shinya as far away from himself and Crowley as he could.

Unfortunately, such a move left him wide open for a brief moment and that was all the vampire lord needed to drive his sword into Guren's chest near his shoulder. Knowing that Ferid wanted the human commander alive, Crowley deliberately avoided hitting any of his vital organs but that still didn't make the injury any less painful for Guren to bear.

"Guren!" Shinya cried as he propped himself onto an elbow and aimed his rifle at Crowley.

The noble waggled a finger at him even as the point of his sword remained lodged in Guren's chest, just slightly off from his heart. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, human. Your aim might be impressive, but I doubt you're going to be able to hit me without killing your friend first. I may be old, but I _do_ know a thing or two about firearms."

Shinya gritted his teeth and glared at Crowley in defiance, but he knew the noble was right. As he probed his mind for a plan, he heard Guren call out to him though his gaze never left Crowley's.

"Forget about me, Shinya! I'm as good as dead, so take command of the MDC and continue the mission without me!"

"What? I just can't leave you at the mercy of those bastards knowing what they'll do to you!" he protested.

"Well, it doesn't look like you have a choice, human," Crowley taunted. "Fortunately for you, I'm more interested in your friend here, so I suggest you take his advice and get on out of here before I change my mind and feed you to my lovely ladies."

Although Shinya Hiragi was not a man who was easily riled, the noble's taunt sorely tempted him into running the risk of shooting Guren just to blow that smug grin off his arrogant face.

Shinya never got the chance, however, before he saw Crowley's look of confidence suddenly change to one of alarm. Unknown to him and Guren, the noble's vampiric hearing picked up the soft sound of a feminine voice whispering.

"Asuramaru, enchant these bullets!"

Before Shinya could register what had suddenly caught Crowley's attention, he heard the report of a firearm going off from behind him before seeing what appeared to be a projection of a small green bat fly past his right side and straight toward the vampire lord holding Guren hostage. ***2***

Knowing that he couldn't allow Guren to be killed, at least not yet, Crowley quickly tossed him aside to a nearby wall before deflecting Yuichiro's demonic projectile with his own weapon, a heavy European-style broadsword. Once the noble's blade made contact with it, the little green bat exploded in a brilliant burst of light, catching him off guard and blinding him for a brief moment.

Seizing the opening her pervious attack provided, Yuichiro, who had quietly turned the corner and made her way into the hallway where Guren and Shinya had attempted to flee from Crowley earlier, made a mad dash for her opponent. ***3***

As soon as he realized what she intended, Shinya attempted to order Yuichiro to cease her suicidal attack on the vampire lord and get as far away from him as she could.

"No, Yuu! Don't do it!" he shouted as he reached towards her with an outstretched hand. "You can't take him on alone, so stay away!"

 _I'm sorry, but I can't do that, Shinya…_ Yuichiro thought as she pretended not to hear the major general's order. _Not when both you and Guren are in danger because you're injured and too weak to fend off that noble by yourselves…_

With that in mind, the ravenette silently called for her demon as she tried to close the distance between herself and Crowley.

 _Fan out, Asura Cannon!_

The demon obeyed and produced what appeared to be a dozen replicas of Yuichiro's main weapon, levitating and arranging themselves in the formation of an arc above her. Once all the replicas of Asuramaru were completely manifested, Yuichiro made a downward swipe with the one in her hand as the signal for them to launch themselves at her opponent.

Instead of being intimidated, Crowley merely smirked, unimpressed by the human girl's attempt to cut him down with her demonic weapon.

"Do you really think you can kill me with a cheap parlor trick like that, human?" he asked in amusement before finally taking in Yuichiro's delicate features. "Ah, I remember you! You're that girl who tried to wipe the ground with me in Shinjuku!"

"Thank you, I'm glad you remember! I almost wish I could reciprocate!" Yuichiro shot back as she watched her opponent easily deflect her flying swords by producing a gust of wind with his own. Not only did Crowley prevent them from coming even within a few feet of him, he also managed to force Yuichiro back slightly as well.

"Is that the best you can do, my lady?" the noble taunted. "Surely you didn't come here thinking you can challenge and defeat me alone, did you?"

Yuichiro sneered at her opponent, who was twice her size and probably outweighed her by at least a hundred pounds. "Don't insult my intelligence, _my lord."_

Before Crowley could ask Yuichiro what she meant, he felt the ground beneath his feet tremble and stepped back just in time to see another human with short blue hair wielding a gold-tone katana break through the stone floor. Taking advantage of the distraction Yuichiro provided as well as Crowley's own surprise at seeing him, Satoshi attacked, followed by Kimizuki.

With his vampiric speed and reflexes, the noble quickly blocked the two boys' attacks before drawing back his sword to swing at them, forcing Satoshi back and knocking Kimizuki away. Even the energy demon decoys that Mitsuba had launched at Crowley from a distance with Tenjiryū's power was of no effect as the noble appeared to not even feel them.

"Ah, I see. So, you didn't come alone after all. My apologies; I should not have been so presumptuous!"

Annoyed that Crowley could fend off three attacking opponents with such contemptuous ease that he could speak to Yuichiro over his shoulder without missing so much as one parry, Satoshi glared at the vampire lord. ***4***

"Hey, don't ignore me, you bastard!" he shouted.

"I wouldn't dream of it, human!" Crowley replied coolly before forcing the blue-haired boy back. "You're hardly a thorn in my side but not quite beneath my notice."

Satoshi was about to make a scathing reply to his opponent's barb when he noticed two female vampires move in to join the fray. Up until now, Chess and Horn had been quietly following their lord in his pursuit of Guren and Shinya but had chosen not to intervene without his direct order.

"My lord, be careful! There are more humans here than we thought!" Horn warned as she pointed to the additional six human soldiers who made their way into the hall, brandishing their weapons. No doubt the two human squads had come to rescue their commanders. ***5***

"Permission to join you in taking them out?" Chess asked excitedly as she withdrew her rapier from its sheath at her side.

Crowley shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, why not? It would be totally unfair of me to hog all the fun."

Now that they had his permission and approval, the two vampire women took out their weapons and stepped in front of Crowley.

"You humans will have to go through us before you can get to Lord Crowley," Horn said smoothly. "Now, which one of you will be the first to die?"

"None!" Yuichiro shrieked as she moved in to back up Satoshi.

"Careful!" Crowley teased. "Screeching isn't ladylike."

"You think I actually give a shit about that right now?" she demanded.

"Ignore him!" Satoshi hissed from besides her. "He's just trying to bait you!"

Yuichiro gritted her teeth, but she knew her partner was right. With the both of them working together, they may have a chance of taking down Chess and Horn while providing the rest of their squad mates an opening to get to Crowley.

Unfortunately, despite the fact that both Yuichiro and Satoshi were sword-fighting prodigies, the vampire women were still no push-overs, even with Daisuke and the Harada twins trying to assist them from a distance. With their speed and reflexes, Horn and Chess were able to evade the sai and fan attack combo of Risa and Riku as well as Daisuke's whip lashes by cleverly maneuvering themselves in a way to keep Yuichiro and Satoshi between them. As a result, the three ranged fighters could not freely launch their attacks without running the risk of hitting their sword fighting comrades. And with Guren being in such close proximity to the nobles, neither Yoichi nor Takeshi could take a shot at them without possibly injuring their commander further. Or worse, killing him.

"Dammit, this is going nowhere…" Shinya cursed as he accepted Shinoa's help in getting him to his feet. His chest injury had not yet completely healed, so he was forced to rely on his adoptive sister for support, allowing her to drape one of his arms over her shoulders while he silently begged Byakkomaru to at least try to heal him faster.

"Please, don't talk, Nii-san," Shinoa implored him. "We need you as much as Guren, so you must conserve your strength!"

Shinya managed a weak smile and patted his sister on the hand. "I appreciate your concern, Shinoa, but I can't let this go on. Even if we managed to destroy these nobles, we won't be able to complete our mission if exhaust ourselves or lose our squad mates in the process," he said grimly as he watched Yuichiro and Satoshi struggle in their fight against Horn and Chess. At the rate things were going, the two young sword fighters would have no energy left to fight Crowley and be left completely at his mercy by the time they managed to get past his retainers. _If_ they got past them.

Taking a breath, Shinya ordered Yuichiro and Satoshi to retreat. As an experienced soldier and commander, it was apparent to him that this was a battle he and his subordinates could not win, especially since their enemy had an important hostage to hide behind on the off-chance that the battle turned in the humans' favor.

"Yuu! Sato! Fall back!" he shouted to the two teens attempting to take down Chess and Horn.

Instead of waiting for Yuichiro or Satoshi to respond, Crowley gave the signal for his own retainers to retreat. "That's enough for now, ladies!"

As always, Chess and Horn obeyed their lord without question and retreated, jumping back and removing themselves from Yuichiro and Satoshi's reach.

"Hey, are you two running away!?" Satoshi demanded.

"Don't underestimate us, bat brains! This isn't over yet!" Yuichiro added.

Unoffended by the humans' insolent challenge to continue fighting, Crowley simply said, "You should listen to your commander, humans. Especially you, girl."

Yuichiro glared at the smug noble. "Don't call me 'girl'! I have a name, and it's Yuichiro Hyakuya! How about I carve in into your heart, so you don't forget next time?!" she shouted angrily.

Rather than being intimidated or even offended by the human girl's threat, Crowley took advantage of the double meaning her statement provided to irk her further.

"Well, I'm very flattered, Miss Hyakuya, but you're not really my type!" he said with a grin.

"Why, you arrogant bastard! Why don't I cut that tongue out of your mouth instead?!" Yuichiro screamed, her cheeks burning in embarrassment at Crowley's taunt, as she prepared to make good on her threat with her Asura Cannon attack again.

Were they not in such a life and death situation, Satoshi would have rolled his eyes at Yuichiro's outburst, especially after he had already made it clear that Crowley was just baiting her.

As if reading her mind, Crowley quietly walked over to Guren, who was still too weak to move from where he was thrown earlier, and lifted him off the ground by his throat.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you, Miss Hyakuya," the noble warned as he strode imperiously forward, his iron cold hand clutching Guren. Seeing Yuichiro and Satoshi's eyes widen at the sight, he smirked and shook the lieutenant colonel in front of them like a ragdoll. "Not if you don't want anything to happen to your commander."

"Nice try, but I know you won't kill Guren," Yuichiro sneered. "Not after all the trouble you went through to capture him alive."

"You're right about that," Crowley admitted. "But that doesn't mean I can't lop off one of his arms or legs. After all, my superiors only need him alive. Not necessarily in one piece. Simply alive."

"Dammit, he's right," Satoshi hissed. "What are we going to do now?"

"There's only one thing left then. I want you to cover me, Sato. I'll take Guren back by force if I have to!" Yuichiro shot back.

Satoshi was about to protest against his partner's suicidal proposal, but Shinya beat him to it. While they weren't looking, the major general had Shinoa release him as soon as he was strong enough to move on his own and walked up behind Yuichiro.

"No," he said firmly as he clapped the younger girl on the shoulder. "Leave Guren. Our priority is to get out of here alive, so we can continue our mission."

Appalled by Shinya's seemingly cold remark, Yuichiro spun around and slapped his hand away. "What? Are you fucking kidding me?!"

"I am not. There's nothing we can do for Guren, and I can't risk everyone being killed just for his sake."

Forgetting her anger towards Crowley earlier, Yuichiro now turned it on Shinya.

"You're crazy!" she spat. "Fine, then! I can save Guren myself without any of your help!"

Yuichiro was about to turn around and do just that when she suddenly felt Shinya grab her by the shoulders and give her a firm shake, his piercing blue-eye stare holding her fast, more so than his hands ever could.

"Listen to me!" he commanded. "I may be your friend, but I am also your superior officer! In Guren's absence, _I_ am in command of this unit, and that means you _must_ obey me in his place! Do you understand, Yuu?!"

Yuichiro was about to argue but before she could even utter a word, she heard a clicking sound and turned her head to see Shinoa, whom she had failed to notice approach her and Shinya earlier, holding up her pocket watch.

"Yuichiro, our time's up. Do you remember the promise you made to me earlier?" Shinoa asked calmly.

Yuu turned her head and stole a glance at Guren, who was starting to choke in Crowley's iron-clad grip, as she fought the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes.

"But they still have Guren! Do you expect me to abandon him just like that?"

Shinoa frowned. Her heart was filled with pity for the other girl but she also knew that she could not afford to indulge her subordinate, not this time.

"I'm sorry, Yuu, but you gave me your word that you would retreat with the rest of us once the five minutes are up no matter what. All of our lives depend on it, including yours."

Yuichiro wanted to protest further but could not find the words to do so. Especially now that the sound of approaching helicopters caught her attention as well as everyone else's.

"Oh, shit!" Satoshi cursed as he kept his sword drawn while calling out to Shinya and the others, even though neither Crowley himself nor his retainers made any move to attack, as though they found the drama unfolding before them entertaining. "Sir, I think that's their back-up! We can't stay any longer; if we do, we're all dead!"

If nothing Shinya or Shinoa said could convince Yuichiro to abandon her plan to rescue Guren, Satoshi's statement finally did. Not only would further argument prove futile, it would also waste precious time and endanger the lives of everyone in the two squads as well. And as stubborn as Yuichiro could be, even she was wise and sensible enough to know that she must put her mission as well as the safety of her squad mates above her own desires.

Finally relenting, Yuichiro threw her arms around Shinya and sobbed into his shoulder. Taking pity on the younger girl, he allowed her embrace and gently cradled her head as she buried her face in his jacket. Glancing over Yuichiro's shoulder, Shinya saw Crowley finally release Guren, who landed on his stomach with a thud and coughed before struggling to get air back into his lungs. As soon as he was able to lift his head, Guren looked straight into his best friend's eyes and silently mouthed what may very well be his last request:

 _Protect Yuichiro…_

Seeing the desperate and pleading look in the other man's eyes, Shinya felt like breaking down himself but knew he had to be strong for Yuu's sake as well as the sake of the junior squads who were now under his command. Nodding his head in silent acknowledgement of his friend's wish, Shinya finally gave the order for both squads to retreat and escape before the vampire reinforcements can arrive.

"Everyone, I'm taking command now! Retreat!" the major general ordered as he released Yuichiro.

Chess and Horn frowned at Shinya's order for the other humans to withdraw but made no move to stop them. At least, not unless they were ordered to do so by Crowley himself.

"Lord Crowley, are we going to let them go, just like that?" Horn asked curiously.

"Yeah, I'm getting peckish again. Can I have at least one or two of them?" Chess pouted like a child begging a parent for a treat.

Crowley shook his head. "You just fed not too long ago, Chess. Remember what I said about exercising more discipline regarding your thirst? In any case, none of these other humans really hold any value except for maybe Miss Hyakuya there. I'm sure Lord Ferid would be very interested in a specimen like her."

"So, do we capture the girl, then?" Horn asked while stretching her whip with both hands. "Just say the word, my lord, and it will be done."

"Oooh, please, Lord Crowley? Can we?" Chess asked excitedly, secretly hoping that she would be permitted to drink Yuichiro's blood later.

"Hmm, why not?" Crowley said with a shrug. "At least, this way, she can be with her commander whom she seems to be so fond of."

As soon as they had Crowley's approval, Chess and Horn were about to move with the intention of capturing Yuichiro, but Shinya pulled her behind him and aimed his demon rifle at them.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that," the major general said coldly.

Chess snickered. "Like you're in any position to stop us?" she challenged.

Shinya gritted his teeth. Now that Crowley had decided Yuichiro was valuable enough to capture, he knew the vampire women loyal to him would do whatever it took to carry out his order.

Even so, that didn't mean Shinya was going to just hand Yuichiro over to them without a fight. Even in his weakened state, he was determined to protect the younger girl with his life.

Taking a breath, Shinya was about to tap into Byakkomaru's power when he noticed the hallway appeared to grow hotter before suddenly bursting into flames. At first, the major general thought he was hallucinating before he noticed the surprised reactions of his subordinates as well as the vampire nobles.

Guren, who had also noticed the hall erupting in flames, called out to the man he knew was responsible for producing this fiery illusion as soon as he was able to find his voice.

"Hey, Goshi! Don't tell me you decided to follow these kids' stupid lead and come running to the rescue too?!"

"Aww… why'd you have to spoil the surprise?" The blond man pouted as he finally showed himself by walking out of a wall of flames not too far from behind Shinya and Yuichiro, causing Guren to groan in frustration. Not only did Shinoa and Satoshi decide to go against his orders by showing up, his own squad did as well. Guren also knew that if Goshi were here, the others could not be too far behind and he was right when he saw Mito, Sayuri, and Shigure rise up from the illusionary stream of lava that was starting to pool in the hallway.

"You fools…why did you come here?" he demanded weakly.

"We've come to save you, sir!" Sayuri cried.

Guren glared at her. "You shouldn't have come!" he snapped before turning to Goshi. "I have no strength left to move, so I'm as good as dead. I want you and the girls to help Shinya get the kids out of here, all of them!"

"Sir, no! We can't just leave you!" Shigure insisted. It was rare for the quiet raven-haired woman to raise her voice but when it came to her commander's safety and well-being, Shigure was just as emotional as Sayuri and Mito.

Ignoring her as well as the pain in his chest and lungs, Guren shouted at Goshi. "Do it, Goshi! The vamp's reinforcements will be here soon! Get everyone out of here now before it's too late!"

"Dammit!" Goshi cursed under his breath as he took the gold-tone pipe from his mouth.

"Don't you dare, Goshi!" Mito hissed from besides him. "No matter what he says, there's no way we're leaving Guren here!"

"I'm afraid that's not for you to decide, Mito!" he shot back harshly. "This is a direct order from Guren himself! I'll keep the illusion going for as long as I can but you and the others must ensure the safety of the kids!"

Without waiting for the crimson-haired woman to answer, Goshi blew on his pipe again to intensify the illusion, causing Chess to jump and even Horn and Crowley to back off slightly.

"Oww! Hot! Hot! Hot!" Chess squealed as she attempted to bat the flames around her away, fearing that they would set her dress on fire.

Horn, who was also affected, fared better in bearing the heat and stood her ground. Even if they felt like it, she knew the flames were not real and could not harm them.

"Relax, Chess. It's just an illusion."

Crowley nodded his agreement. "Be that as it may, it's still powerful enough to affect even the minds of nobles like us. Humans did not have anywhere near this kind of power that I am aware of. There's no way they could have developed it on their own. So, the question is, where did they get it? Oh, that's right! _You_ know, don't you?" he asked as he turned to Guren, who had finally managed to sit up and lean against a nearby wall.

The lieutenant colonel sneered at his captor. "Fuck you!" he snarled. "You'll get nothing out of me!"

The noble chuckled in amusement at his captive's defiance. "That's all right, I don't mind. I know you're the kind who'd rather be tortured to death than betray his comrades" he said before looking towards Shinya and Yuichiro. "However, I do think it might be a bit easier to make the little missy talk if she knows anything."

Turning to Chess and Horn, Crowley nodded towards Yuichiro's direction. "Take her," he ordered.

"Yes, my lord," Horn answered before drawing back her whip.

"I won't let you!" Shinya snarled before firing at the blonde vampire woman while gripping Yuichiro firmly by the arm to keep her close. Knowing that he had to conserve his strength to help Yuu and her young squad mates escape, Shinya turned to Mito, Sayuri, and Shigure.

"Cover for us and then get out of here as soon as you can!"

Although leaving Guren behind was the last thing they wanted, the three women, like Yuichiro herself, also knew they must put his orders above their own wishes.

"Understood!" Mito said as she, Sayuri, and Shigure stepped in with their weapons drawn to block Horn and Chess's access to Shinya and Yuichiro.

Once he was sure he had secured the cooperation of his female subordinates, Shinya called out to the junior squads.

"Everyone! Follow me! We're getting out of here, NOW!"

"Yes, sir!" the two young squad leaders answered while giving their subordinates the signal to retreat per Shinya's orders.

"We won't let you get away!" Horn exclaimed after swiftly dodging Shinya's bullet and called to Chess, who was still jumping around like a rabbit trying to keep the flames away from her skirts. "Chess, will you stop being a baby and panicking like a human, already? I told you the fire is just an illusion!"

"Ok, ok, I get it!" the younger vampire answered before pulling her rapier out of her sheath.

"Ignore the others. Just get Miss Hyakuya. Bring her to me!" Crowley ordered while ignoring the glare Guren was giving him.

"Understood, Lord Crowley!"

"You'll have to get past us first!" Mito sneered, reaching out and snatching the whip Horn had sent whistling her way, her demon gloved hand holding the weapon fast.

Before Horn could pull her weapon back, Sayuri sliced the whip in half with her blade before going to assist Shigure who was holding Chess off by sending a barrage of Kunai her way. Since they were not black demon wielders, the three women knew they were unlikely to take down Chess and Horn; their intention was to simply buy time for Shinya and the junior squads to escape. As for Crowley himself, nothing less than a complete squad fighting at full power would have any chance of slaying the maroon-haired vampire lord.

Once Guren was sure Shinya as well as the junior squads were gone, he called out to his remaining subordinates.

"Forget about me and get out of here, all of you!" he ordered.

"You, quiet." Crowley said before kicking Guren in the chest. To the noble, it was just a light tap with his foot but, to Guren himself, it was a blow nearly strong enough to crack his ribs.

Alarmed, Mito called out to him after forcing Horn back with a roundhouse kick to her side.

"Guren!"

"I said get out NOW!" the lieutenant colonel repeated, a bit more forcefully. Guren's outburst earned him another kick, this time in the abdomen, from his vampire captor.

"And I said quiet, human. You're just a glutton for punishment, aren't you?"

Mito gritted her teeth at seeing the noble kick Guren around as if he were a dog and was about to pounce on Crowley when she felt Goshi clap a hand on her shoulder.

"We have to go, Mito, while I can still keep this illusion going to cover our escape," the blond man said calmly.

"He's right!" Shigure agreed. Although the thought of leaving Guren behind was just as unappealing to her as it was to the rest of her squad, Shigure knew that the web of magical thread she had conjured while Sayuri covered her to keep Chess and Horn at bay won't last much longer.

"Dammit!" Mito cursed but gave in and followed the rest of her squad mates as they turned heel and ran from the hallway while Goshi's wall of flames obscured the vison of their vampire enemies long enough for them to escape.

Once the producer of the hellish illusion was gone, the flames and lava vanished, leaving a heavily damaged empty hallway with pieces of tile and stone littering the floor as well as the hole Satoshi and Kimizuki broke out of.

Chess and Horn frowned when they saw that their target was long gone by the time the illusion vanished. The blonde woman turned to Crowley and bowed.

"I'm sorry, my lord. We have failed to capture the girl. Please, forgive us."

"Yes, I'm sorry, too…" Chess apologized, following Horn's lead.

Crowley merely shook his head as if unconcerned with his retainers' failure.

"It's quite all right," he said. "We've already got the one we really need; the girl was just a bonus we can afford to let go. And besides, it's not like we won't get another chance to capture her."

Chess sheathed her sword and breathed a sigh of relief that Crowley was not angry or bothered by her and Horn's failure to capture Yuichiro. Walking over to Guren, who was still trying to recover from being kicked earlier, the vampire girl looked Guren in the eye as he was sprawled on the floor, her face almost close enough to make his eyes water.

"I think you're right, Lord Crowley. Seeing how fixated she was with this human, I can see her coming back to try and rescue him. Not that I blame her; he is quite a looker!"

"Wow, you really have no concept of personal space, do you, Chess?" Horn asked incredulously as her eyes took in the entertaining scene before her.

Crowley rolled his eyes. "That's enough," he said sternly as he walked over and tapped Chess on the shoulder. Taking the hint, the vampire girl stood up and made room for her lord.

"It looks like your comrades have abandoned you," he said to his human captive.

"Heh… well, they don't care for me much…" Guren answered as he placed a hand over his aching chest and abdomen.

"Oh, please, how stupid do you think I am?" Crowley countered. "You had to practically order them to leave you behind. Such a noble and self-sacrificing creature you are. I was like you once, human. Look where it got me. Hopefully, fate will be kinder to you." ***6***

Without waiting for Guren to answer, the vampire lord turned to his two retainers. "We'll be taking him with us. He may be weak, but tie him up anyway just to be sure."

"Yes, my lord," the two answered in unison.

Guren said nothing and did not resist when he felt himself being lifted off the ground. As he started to lose consciousness from the pain of his injuries, his thoughts became filled with the young girl he had begged Shinya to protect.

 _Please live, Yuichiro…_

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. Fem!Yuu is normally calm and collected during battle but becomes impatient whenever Guren or anyone else she cares about is in immediate danger.**

 **2\. Fem!Yuu carries a pistol as a back-up weapon that she can ask Asuramaru to enchant so she can fire demonic bullets similar to Shinya's but smaller. The price for using this power is that her main weapon is weakened briefly until the bullets hit their target.**

 **3\. Compared to male!Yuu, whose attacks are often direct and dramatic, fem!Yuu prefers stealth and the element of surprise whenever possible.**

 **4\. To avoid confusion, the three opponents attacking Crowley while fem!Yuu provides the distraction with her pistol are Satoshi, Kimizuki, and Mitsuba who tries to assist them from a distance by sending her energy dummies to distract Crowley.**

 **5\. To avoid confusion, fem!Yuu, Satoshi, Kimizuki, and Mitsuba made it to the floor where Crowley was chasing Guren and Shinya first. Their remaining six squad members made their way into the hallway shortly after that.**

 **6\. In the Michaela LNs, Crowley was implied to be very loyal to his comrades during his human life as a medieval knight who fought in the crusades. In this sense, he compares himself to how Guren was loyal to his comrades in the Moon Demon Company.**


	24. And Lead Me Not into Temptation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This fic is an alternate version of the Nagoya Arc with events different from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta readers, ResidentialPsycho and Falchion1984, for their help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!**

 **On a note, I have a comic strip illustrating the Shinya/fem!Yuu scene on my DeviantArt page for anyone who is interested in seeing it. My pen name on DA is the same as on FF. Net: Elly3981.**

 **Chapter 24: And Lead Me Not into Temptation**

"Sir Mikaela, we've almost arrived. It won't be long before we reach Nagoya City Hall," a young vampire guard said as he offered Mika a white cloak that matched those of the other soldiers accompanying them.

Mika nodded and accepted the garment as he stood up from his seat in the aircraft that he and the five guards Rene recommended he take to Nagoya. It was uncertain whether the older vampire made this recommendation out of distrust toward Mika or out concern for his safety in order to avoid the queen's wrath should the blond fail to return alive.

Not that it mattered to Mikaela. Right now, there was only one thing on his mind, and that was finding his long-lost adoptive sister, who had been kept from him for far too long. Although he had preferred to come alone to conduct his search for Yuu, Mika knew that insisting to do so would arouse the suspicions of his two constant companions from Sanguinem, so the blond pretended to go along with Rene's suggestion.

But now there was no way he could allow his subordinates to go any further, lest they discover that Mikaela never intended to find and protect the noble that Aihara claimed the MDC were targeting next.

"Thank you," Mika said coolly as he placed the cloak around his shoulders while trying to think of a way to rid himself of his unneeded and unwanted companions. The last thing the blond needed was for any of them to return and report his deception to Lacus and Rene.

Before the guard who had offered Mika the cloak could reply, they heard another guard, who had just opened the hatch to the carrier and looked down to the buildings below where one large building in particular appeared to be on fire. Alarmed, he call out to them while looking down to the city below.

"Hey, what's going on down there? The humans must be attacking Lord Crowley's domain! We have no choice, we must call for reinforcements!"

Knowing that he must act before his subordinates could call for backup, Mika quickly drew his sword and lopped off the head of the guard closest to him; the blond moved so quickly that the other vampire never knew what hit him. While the others were distracted by the fire and had their backs turned to him Mika moved to strike down a second soldier by plunging his sword into the man's back and through his heart before he even had a chance to scream.

It was times like these that Mika was grateful for the cover provided by the combined noise of the chaos below and the furious whirring of the aircraft's engine, allowing him to strike at his distracted subordinates. After hearing no reply to the suggestion that they call for reinforcements from their leader, a third guard turned his head slightly, his eyes widening when he saw the bloodied corpses of two other vampire soldiers on the floor with Mikaela standing over them with his sword drawn and a look of indifference on his face while they turned to ash. ***1***

"Hey, what do you think you're…"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Mikaela sliced him in half at the waist. But not before he caught the attention of the remaining two soldiers, who had managed to react in time and assumed a defensive stance.

"Sir Mikaela, what is the meaning of this!?" one guard demanded.

"I don't know what your intentions are, but treason is a very serious crime!" the other exclaimed. "Even if you _are_ the queen's adopted son, if you betray us, we have no choice but to eliminate you!"

To this, Mikaela gave a smile that looked almost sad. As a fledgling of Queen Krul Tepes, he knew he was more than powerful enough to take on the remaining two guards alone.

"I am sorry," the blond apologized, his tone sounding almost regretful. "I have nothing against any of you personally. But I have my own mission to fulfill, and cannot allow you to go any further. Forgive me."

Without another word, Mikaela swung his sword in an arc, emanating a gust of wind powerful enough to knock the last two vampire guards off their feet and right out the hatch door. While it may not have been a certain kill, Mika knew that even if his subordinates managed to survive the long fall to the city below, it was unlikely they would be able to follow him. And that was what the blond had intended all along, that he be able to continue his search for Yuichiro alone and without interference from anyone else.

His lips now curving into a genuine smile, Mikaela sheathed his sword before closing the hatch. Since the aircraft was on autopilot, he only had to wait for it to reach its destination and land, allowing him to take care of the rest.

Taking Yuichiro's pink handkerchief from his pocket once more, Mikaela pressed it to his face.

 _I'm almost there, Yuu-chan! Just wait a little longer…_

 **SSSSSS**

"Everyone, in here! And don't forget to lock the doors!" Shinya ordered as he led the three remaining squads of the MDC with the exception of Narumi's, into another large abandoned building as soon as he was certain the vampires they had just fled from weren't following.

To reduce the chances of their enemies finding them again, Goshi created an illusion that their hiding place was so burned from the outside that it was structurally unsound, and likely to crash down on whoever entered, while everyone else made sure the doors and windows were locked and barricaded with whatever they could find. The squads knew it wouldn't be enough to stop the vampires if they were discovered but having all entrances to the building locked would still buy them time to escape if worst came to worst.

Instead of helping her superiors and squad mates secure the building, Yuichiro remained next to Shinya who stood in the middle of the main lobby giving out orders. And the major general was completely fine with that since it ensured the younger girl stayed in his sight, just in case she got it into her head to go back for Guren. It was no secret that Yuichiro was devastated at being forced to abandon her guardian to the mercy of an insanely powerful vampire lord. But what everyone present, including Shinya, did not know, was that it hit home for her. And, harder than they could possibly imagine

Because it was not the first time she had left someone she held dear to die.

As she silently watched the members of Guren, Shinoa, and Satoshi's squads move to lock and seal off every entrance to the building that they could find, Yuichiro tried to contemplate on what she should do.

"Yuichiro, are you all right?" Shinoa asked in concern as soon as everyone had finished securing their temporary safe haven. "You've been awfully quiet since we retreated. You need not worry; we should be safe here for now until we can plan our next move."

Yuichiro blinked at her squad leader's question. Although Yuichiro was clearly still upset that Shinya gave the order to leave Guren behind, she said nothing and gave Shinoa a blank stare for a moment before turning her back to her.

"I'm fine, now, Shinoa," Yuu said calmly. "I just need some time alone, if you don't mind."

Without waiting for her squad leader to answer, Yuichiro slowly walked away from the group and made her way up a nearby stairway, not caring where it led. The others watched with concern as she left, but no one tried to stop her.

Worried for her friend, Shinoa was about to say something when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning, she saw Shinya with the same look of concern in his eyes.

"It's all right, Shinoa," he said gently. "I'll talk to her. Just stay here with everyone until I return."

Although her brother said nothing more, the purple-haired girl understood what he meant.

"Thank you, Nii-san," she said with a look of relief on her face. "That means a lot to me…"

Shinya nodded and patted his sister's hand before he turned and walked up the stairway Yuichiro took just a moment before.

Like with Yuichiro, everyone watched Shinya leave, but no one said a word. There was nothing they could do but let him handle the situation with Yuichiro as he saw fit and quietly chose to await his return.

 **SSSSSS**

After leaving Shinya as well as the rest of her peers on the lower floor, Yuichiro quietly made her way up the stairwell to the rooftop of the building. Like Yoichi and Takishi, as well as Shinya himself, Yuichiro had no fear of high places and casually stepped onto the edge, oblivious to the fact that a ten-story drop awaited her if she were to lose her footing. ***2***

Instead, the ravenette's mind left the present and returned to a memory more to her liking, a time when her guardian showed a side of himself to her that few would ever see…

 **Two years ago…**

 _Fourteen-year-old Yuichiro buried her face in her pillow and sobbed after waking up and finding herself safe in bed instead of the cold hallways of Sanguinem where her_ _brothers and sisters from the Hyakuya Orphanage,_ _including Mikaela, had met their grisly demise. Not wanting to wake anyone in her household since it was the middle of the night, the ravenette tried to stay as quiet as possible as well as attempted to relax_ _,_ _so that she could fall back asleep._

 _Unfortunately, the intensity of her nightmares often made this very difficult and Yuichiro considered getting up to take the sleep medication that Sayuri often left on her night table in case she had difficulty sleeping, when she heard a soft knock on her door._

" _Yuichiro, are you awake?"_

 _The ravenette frowned when she realized that she had indeed woken someone in her household and it was the last person she wanted to disturb. But knowing that Guren wasn't going to be fooled if she pretended to be asleep, Yuichiro sat up and answered him._

" _Yes, sir."_

" _May I come in?"_

" _Of course. Just give me a minute, I'll be right there."_

" _No need, Yuu. I can let myself in; just stay where you are."_

 _Yuichiro blinked but obeyed and did not move from her bed as she saw the door to her room open and Guren standing in the doorway. The older man was clad in slacks and a dress shirt instead of his usual sleepwear._

" _I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Yuichiro asked._

 _Guren shook his head. "No, I just haven't been able to sleep yet. What about you? I was passing by your room when I heard you scream._

 _Yuichiro blinked in confusion. "Was I? I don't remember that."_

" _Well, I do. It was just a few moments ago_ _,_ _" the older man answered as he walked up to Yuichiro's bedside after pulling a chair from her nearby desk._

 _The younger girl lowered her head, trying to avoid her guardian's eyes. "I see… I didn't mean to bother you, Guren."_

" _You are not bothering me, Yuu. Tell me what's wrong. Did you have a bad dream?"_

" _Yes."_

" _Do you want to talk about it?"_

" _I don't think you'd be interested, sir."_

 _Guren smiled. "Try me."_

 _Yuichiro sighed and took a deep breath. "It was about the time I tried to escape the vampire city with my brothers and sisters; the last night I saw them alive before I met you."_

" _I see… but that's in the past. I know this may be hard to hear_ _,_ _but you must let it go and move on, Yuu."_

 _Yuichiro glared at her guardian and his insensitive words. That they were said with good intentions stung. That he was right stung more._

 _A lot more._

" _Well, that's easy for you to say!" she snapped. "Do you think it's fair that_ my _freedom,_ my _life cost my family_ theirs?! _Especially when I've done nothing to deserve it!? It was all Mika's work, planning, and sacrifice! Akane, Chihiro, Kouta, Tachi, and little Aiko… she was only five years old when that bastard Ferid snuffed out her life! And for nothing more than his own sick, twisted amusement!"_

 _In response to the younger girl's outburst, Guren took her by the shoulders and gave her a firm shake._

" _No, it is_ not _easy for me to say. I'm sure Sayuri has told you this before but you_ must _accept that there will be circumstances that are completely beyond your control. Your life was spared that night for a reason, Yuu. Instead of agonizing over_ who _should have gotten that chance, put it to use for the good of others. I'm sure it's what your brothers and sisters would have wanted."_

" _Wh..what are you trying to say?"_

 _Guren sighed and released Yuichiro before placing a hand under her chin and lifting her face, forcing her eyes to meet his._

" _What I am saying is that time favors no one, Yuu. Don't waste your life regretting the past; it does no one any good, especially you. If you don't feel like you have a reason to live then find one."_

 _Yuichiro placed a hand on Guren's forearm but made no move to push him away. "I haven't been able to find any reason to live since the day I was born, at least not for myself. I pretended to be a boy for most of my life to please my parents. But that still wasn't good enough for them since they tried to kill me anyway for not being born male. Later, I found a new family who might have accepted me for who I really was_ _,_ _but_ _,_ _except for Mika and Akane, they never got the chance to know the real me because they were killed too."_

" _So, are you saying that you find life too painful to bear? Is that it?"_

" _At times, yes."_

" _I understand… I feel the same way too."_

 _Yuichiro stared at her guardian incuriously. "You sound like you speak from experience, Guren."_

" _In a way, yes. When I was a little older than you, I too, failed to save someone dear to me. Do you know how many nights I stayed up agonizing over why my life was spared but not hers? More than I can count. But I also knew that she would want me to go on with my life and do what I could to help others. I felt that if I stuck around long enough, the day would come when I finally meet someone who needs me. And then I found you, alone, cold and wounded outside of Sanguinem that snowy night."_

 _Yuichiro blushed. "Are you saying that I should do the same?"_

" _Yes. If you ever find life to be unbearable, concentrate on your studies and training to defeat the vamps; that should give you some focus for the time being._

" _I see…thank you. I'll do my best."_

 _Guren smiled as he placed a hand on his ward's lower back and gently_ _eased her back onto the bed_ _. Bending over, the older man placed a kiss on her forehead._

" _Good girl," Guren said while gently stroking the girl's soft cheek with his finger. "Live, Yuichiro. And always try your best. That is all I can ask of you. Until you find a new reason to live and even after that, I'll always protect you._

" _Mmm…thank you, sir."_

" _You're welcome, Yuu. Now try to sleep; you've got training tomorrow."_

" _Yes, Guren."_

" _Good. And don't worry, I'll stay here until you fall asleep. I promise."_

 _For the first time that evening, Yuichiro smiled, her heart finally at ease. "Thank you…"_

" _You're welcome. Now sleep, Yuu…"_

 **Present Day…**

Yuichiro sighed and buried her face in her hands as she found herself once more fighting back tears. In her despair, Yuu started to wonder if everything she had done to get to this point had been worthwhile since the end result led her right back to where she'd been the night she lost Mikaela and the others. All those nights she had stayed up late studying only to wake up at the crack of dawn and push her body to the limit with physical training in order to be accepted into the demon army and later the MDC, what was it all for? In the end, Yuichiro had been just as powerless to save Guren as she had been to save Mikaela. The fact that it had been Shinya's decision to abandon Guren and not her own was of little consolation.

 _I couldn't save either of them…. What was my training and studying all these years for if I_ still _can't change anything?_ Yuichiro asked herself before a thought came to her.

Reaching into the pocket of her uniform jacket, Yuichiro pulled out the small case of curse stimulant pills that Shinoa had given her before their squad departed for Ebina with Satoshi's. Prying open the lid of the case, she popped two of the tasteless tablets into her mouth before biting off half of a third and swallowing it. ***3*** Shortly after, Yuichiro heard the door to the stairway she had come through earlier open slowly, creaking noisily in protest after nearly a decade of disuse, and someone walking through it. Without turning around, Yuichiro listen as the person, whom she was sure had to be Shinya, approach.

Not wanting to startle Yuichiro and cause a fatal accident, Shinya made sure to walk slowly and let his footsteps be heard before he made any attempt to console her. When he was sure it was safe to do so, the major general finally spoke.

"Yuichiro…are you alright?" he asked gently with a solemn expression even though he knew the younger girl couldn't see it with her back turned to him. "I know you're angry with me for leaving Guren behind, but please understand, I never wanted to do that; he was my best friend, I knew him since we were your age, but the mission must come first. I'm sure Guren himself would tell you the same if he were here instead of me."

For a moment, Yuichiro said nothing, and Shinya worried that his words might have made her feel worse, not better. But even so, it was still something that had to be said. As her superior officer, Shinya knew he owed Yuichiro no explanation for his decision but the younger girl was not just a subordinate to him; if she was, he wouldn't even be here trying to offer her comfort.

As Yuichiro searched her mind for a response to Shinya's apology, she heard her demon contractor whisper:

" _It doesn't have to be this way, Yuu… You can still go back for Guren. All you have to do is immobilize Shinya."_

" _What do you mean, Asuramaru?"_

" _Don't you see? The major general is the only thing that stands between you and rescuing your guardian. But that is easily remedied by exploiting his weakness, namely yourself. After all, he's always been_ very _fond of you…"_

" _So, what should I do?"_

Asuramaru's lips twisted into a cruel smile. _"Tempt him…"_

Although her demon did not elaborate further, Yuichiro easily caught on to Asuramaru's drift. The answer was so simple, so easy, how could she have not thought of it on her own before he suggested it?

Yuichiro's bangs fell over her face and her lips parted slightly in a devious little smile before she bought her hands up to the collar of her uniform and undid the buttons.

Shinya was about to say something else when Yuichiro finally spoke.

"I know that, sir. I'm not blaming you for anything. After all, you've been _so_ good to me, Shinya…"

When Yuichiro finally turned around and jumped off the building's edge back towards the center where it was safe, Shinya released a breath of relief that she was out of danger. But that didn't last long and the major general's eyes widened, his breath caught in his throat when he saw the younger girl open the top of her uniform jacket and pulled it down to reveal her cleavage as she slowly started to walk towards him, her lips curved in a seductive smile he didn't think she was capable of making.

Until now.

"You once told Mito that I made you tremble with desire when I was but a child. Was that a lie? Because I _do_ know when men desire, Shinya…" ***4*** Yuichiro said in a husky tone before reaching out and clutching the lapels of his uniform jacket with her delicate, even if sword-calloused hands.

Shinya released a soft gasp at the younger girl's bold words. He couldn't believe Mito actually told Yuichiro _that_ , even if he said it as a joke when he tried to clue her in to the younger girl's true sex when she was pretending to be a boy. Did Mito reveal the unwise words he'd spoken in order to get back at him for using Yuu to prank her and Guren?

Well, whether that was Mito's intention or not, Yuichiro knew and now she was going to use that knowledge to her advantage. And too late did Shinya realize his failure to heed Goshi's warning that his habitual flirting with Yuichiro behind Guren's back would eventually lead to trouble.

Giving his jacket a gentle tug, Yuichiro pulled Shinya down to her level before whispering in his ear, her smile mirroring Asuramaru's.

"It's true… You desire me, do you not, Shinya? Haven't you ever found yourself wishing that _you_ had been the one to find me instead of Guren? Hmm?"

Like Guren, Shinya Hiragi could be a smooth talker and believable liar when he chose but found it impossible to refute or deny Yuichiro's claim. Especially with her giving him such an intense and seductive stare, her bright green irises surrounded by gold rings and burning with lust.

"Yuichiro…" Shinya breathed as he put his hands over hers, not knowing what to say.

If he had truly wanted to, it would have been little trouble for him to push the younger girl away but, to his dismay, found that his body would not obey his mind's command, not when her eyes drew him to her like a moth to flame. And like Guren, Shinya prided himself on his self-control and self-discipline but even so, he was still human with a young man's hot blood.

How many nights did he stay up wondering if Mahiru might have fallen for him if she had not known Guren? Although he would never admit it, Shinya had always envied his best friend's ability to capture the attention and desires of women whether he wanted them or not. ***5***

And now, Yuichiro, Guren's ward of all people, was offering herself to him.

Looking at her now, it was hard for Shinya to believe that the young girl tempting him was the same one he loved to spoil and dote on as a child. The one who used to laugh and squeal with delight as she hugged him tightly from behind whenever he took her on motorcycle rides without Guren's knowledge or consent, the one who struggled to pretend she didn't admire his body when he was teaching her how to swim.

"Shinya…it's ok. Just give in to me. You'll make me feel _so_ much better, isn't that what you want? I promise I won't tell Guren…" Yuichiro persisted as she tugged on his lapels a bit more insistently while trying to pull him closer to her. "I need you…"

 _Guren will kill me if he ever finds out about this…_ Shinya thought. And he was likely right.

But just once, Shinya wanted to sate his curiosity to see if Yuichiro's lips were as soft and sweet as they appeared. Her delicate pink cupid's bow beckoned to him as well as her hypnotic orbs. And before he could stop himself, Shinya closed his eyes, leaned over, and pressed his lips to hers while thinking:

 _Just one kiss… It can't hurt…_

But it did.

Oh, it started out innocently enough but one kiss couldn't satisfy Shinya. He quickly found himself wanting another and another until his self-control finally crumbled to dust and grabbed Yuichiro, crushing her to his chest, kissing her passionately, throwing all restraint, caution, and propriety to the wind.

That was, until he heard a soft warning from his demon contractor in the back of his mind.

" _Shinya, stop. It's a trap…"_

" _What? I don't understand, Byakkomaru."_

" _The girl…she wants to save her guardian. And to do that, she needs_ you _out of the way…"_

" _That's absurd, Yuichiro needs me! She should have been mine just as Mahiru should have been mine!" "_

" _She is deceiving you! Wake up now, Shinya! Or your lust for her will be your undoing!"_

Though he had often complained about Byakkomaru always being so serious and no fun, Shinya knew the tiger demon was right; he could taste the curse stimulant pills on Yuichiro's tongue but was too consumed by lust and pleasure to care.

After one more kiss, the once proud major general found himself dropping to his knees, his arms wrapped tightly around Yuichiro's waist before he heard the younger girl snickering at her easy victory over him.

When he finally opened his eyes and looked up Yuu, Shinya saw two small horns protruding from the girl's temples and demonic runes lacing her light alabaster skin. Yuichiro's green eyes were now a ruby-red color with cat-like slits and a pair of vampire-like fangs poked from her lips.

"Hehe…you always were a sucker for a pretty face, Shinya, especially mine," she giggled as she raked her fingers through his white hair before clutching a handful of it tightly in her fist and roughly jerking his head back.

"And that weakness will be your undoing!" Yuichiro hissed, her lovely face twisting into a menacing expression before she bared her fangs and attempted to sink them into Shinya's now exposed throat.

When it registered in his mind that Yuichiro had just echoed Byakkomaru's warning, Shinya finally snapped out of his pleasure-filled haze, his eyes wide with terror.

"No!" he cried as he pushed the younger girl away before collapsing to the ground but quickly propping himself back up on one elbow. "Not while I live! I've sworn to protect you!"

Pulling a magical talisman from a pocket of his uniform jacket, Shinya quickly slapped it to Yuichiro's forehead before she could grab and attempt to bite him again.

"Asuramaru, I command you, release your hold on Yuichiro at once! Restraint!" ***6***

The spell took effect instantly and Yuichiro screamed in pain as the small piece of paper burned her skin before she lost consciousness and collapsed against Shinya.

After catching his breath, the major general was about to get up and take Yuichiro into his arms when he suddenly heard running footsteps before the door behind them opened, revealing Goshi and Mito standing in the doorway.

"What's going on?" Mito demanded. "We suddenly heard a scream coming from up here! Did something happen...?"

Shinya was puzzled when he saw the crimson-haired woman suddenly stop speaking as well as Goshi giving him a bewildered look when he finally realized that his squad mates had just found him in a rather compromising position with Yuichiro. With her jacket collar wide open and exposing the tops of her breasts as well his own mussed hair, Shinya knew he was going to have a hell of a time the situation explaining to his friends.

Still, he made the attempt anyway as he brought up a hand while resting the other on Yuichiro's back.

"Wait, I-I can explain!"

Mito gave him a blank stare for a moment before saying. "Never mind. You can do that later; let's just get Yuichiro back inside."

 **SSSSSS**

"So that's what happened…" Goshi said quietly as he looked down at the unconscious Yuichiro who was lying on the floor padded by Yoichi's cape with everyone surrounding her. Shinoa, Mistuba, and the Harada twins were busy checking her for any signs of injury while Mito, Sayuri, and Shigure shot Shinya rather dirty looks for what he had just done.

Norito Goshi, who was ever so concerned when it came to Yuichiro's well-being, much like a doting uncle, pressured Shinya into telling him what happened when he noticed his friend's reluctance to do so.

"Yes…" Shinya admitted as his eyes wandered down to the unconscious girl lying on the floor. "I should have realized that Yuichiro was possessed when she tried to make a move on me like that; it's so unlike her."

The blond man snorted and crossed his arms as he shot his friend a reproachful look.

"Well, I'm glad you had enough sense to stop thinking with your dick when she tried to bite you, Shinya," he said a bit harshly. "I also suggest you not mention any of this to Guren if you want to keep your teeth because, possessed or not, we all know what an over-protective daddy he is over little Yuu."

Shinya rolled his eyes. "Ok, I get it, Goshi, but in case you haven't noticed, she's not so little anymore…"

"Oh, I've noticed all right. But unlike you, I also know there are certain lines that shouldn't be crossed. And that's a lesson you'd best learn quickly if you know what's good for you, old friend."

Shinya sighed, his cheeks burned slightly with embarrassment at his lapse of control but he did not argue because he knew his friend was absolutely right.

 **SSSSSS**

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty…"

"Huh?" Yuichiro asked groggily as she slowly opened her eyes and found herself not back in the waking world, but the world within her mind. Looking up, the ravenette saw her demon contractor perched in a crouching position on a large version of the sword that also carried his name.

Asuramaru rolled his eyes before his lips curved into a mischievous smile. "Well, aren't you full of surprises, Miss Hyakuya? For a moment there, I didn't think you had it in you to make a move on a guy like that. But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you'll do anything to save somebody you consider family."

Yuichiro gasped and sat up when the demon boy's words finally sank in and she realized that she had just tried to seduce her superior officer.

Who also happened to be her guardian's best friend.

"W..what the hell did you just make me do, you little bastard?!" the ravenette demanded as she shot her demon contractor a glare, trying to hide her embarrassment behind a mask of anger.

Asuramaru gave her an innocent look. "Me? _I_ didn't make you do anything. I only offered you a suggestion to save your guardian. _You_ were the one who chose to act on it, or don't you remember?"

"Why you!"

The demon chuckled. "Oh, please. It's not like you didn't enjoy it just as much as your victim did. In fact, you were quite thrilled to have a superior officer like him at your mercy. And besides, did you forget that I literally live inside your mind and have access to your memories? I know you crushed on the major general almost as much as your own guardian."

Yuichiro gulped. She knew Asuramaru was right. But more importantly, what did _Shinya_ think of her advances? Would he tell Guren?

Although the ravenette did not voice her thoughts, Asuramaru was able to read them and answered her unspoken question.

"Don't worry. I doubt Shinya will speak of your hot little make-out session to Guren. Not unless he wants to lose his teeth, that is," the demon boy said humorously.

Although relieved at the likely truth of Asuramaru's words, Yuichiro tried to change the subject to spare herself further embarrassment.

"Never mind that, Asuramaru," she said in annoyance. "What's done is done. Right now, I need to save Guren but as I am right now, I'm not strong enough; I need more of your power."

"Well, yes, I can see that," the demon boy said wryly. "If power was what you wanted from the start, all you had to do was ask, Miss Hyakuya. You know I feed off your obsessions and desires. However, those pills you took before you smooched the major general are a problem."

"Oh?"

"They release the power of the curse inside you while keeping your greed in check. That contradiction won't do. You can't just take drugs and expect to get stronger without any consequences; that would be wrong. Haven't you ever heard of the law of Equivalent Exchange? ***7*** To obtain anything, something of equal value must be sacrificed. It basically means that you can't get something for nothing. Everything has its price. Especially the power you desire."

"And what must I sacrifice? My life? Or my free will?"

Asuramaru shrugged. "Does it really matter? After all, you're already dead."

Yuichiro gave him a blank stare. "What? Don't play games with me!"

"I'm not. While you may be clever enough to avoid overdosing on those curse stimulant pills by just a little, the power of that talisman Shinya slapped on you combined with their effects ruptured your internal organs and caused your heart to explode."

The ravenette felt herself starting to hyperventilate as her demon contractor's words sunk in.

"No way… am I really dead?"

"Well, yes… or at least, you _should_ be."

Yuichiro found herself looking up at Asuramaru in confusion. "What do you mean, I 'should' be? Am I actually dead or not?"

The demon boy sighed and pointed up to the sky with its golden-pink hues and white clouds. Confused, Yuichiro looked in the direction of his pointed finger and saw what appeared to be humanoid figures with wings that were clad in white gowns.

"No, you're not. And the only reason you're still among the living is because of those disgusting angels; their power is forcibly keeping you alive."

The ravenette raised a brow. "Is that right? Hey, what's that over there?" Yuichiro asked as a shiny object in the distance caught her eye after she was tired of looking at the angels in the sky.

Asuramaru followed her gaze and frowned as his eyes took in the object that caught his mistress's fancy.

"Oh that? Beats me. From here, it looks like some kind of horn or trumpet."

"Yes, that's what I thought," Yuichiro agreed. "It's strange, but, for some reason, I really want it."

"You do, huh? Well, I wouldn't recommend you go near that thing. Angels can be far nastier than demons, so you're better off sticking with me."

The ravenette smirked. "I am? And how do I know I can believe you?"

Asuramaru chuckled. "Oh, you're just going to have to trust me, Miss Hyakuya. In any case, your heart has started to beat again. Now that that's fixed, I should be able to take care of the rest."

"I still want the trumpet," Yuichiro insisted as she started to take a step towards the shiny object of her desire.

In response, Asuramaru grabbed his mistress firmly by the wrist and forced her to face him. His smile vanished and his expression was now dead serious.

"I really must insist that you don't go near it for both our sakes. Read my lips, Yuichiro Hyakuya: accept _me_ and nothing else. _I_ will heal you and give you the power you need."

Yuichiro snapped out of her trance and glared at her demon contractor. "If you want me to do that, then put your money where your mouth is, Asuramaru!"

The demon boy laughed mirthlessly. "Haha… You greedy little wench. Can't you feel it? I've already given it to you; two and a half pills worth of the drug is still in effect within you. This means you can use my power for the next four to five minutes ***8*** without becoming a demon if you still wish to rescue your guardian. Use your time wisely, Miss Hyakuya. Now wake up and do what you need to do!"

 **SSSSSS**

Yuichiro released a soft gasp as her eyes flew open, and she found herself lying on the floor padded by Yoichi's cape in the corner of the lobby of the building she and her comrades have taken refuge in.

Turning her head, she saw Shinya along with the other members of the three squads that were now under his command gathered in the middle of the lobby and from the look of things, discussing strategies.

Not wanting anyone to know she was awake, Yuichiro listened quietly for a few moments as Shinya gave the squads their next order.

"Goshi, I want you to take the girls and meet up with Narumi's squad. The kids and I will catch up with you later after we figure out a way to wake Yuichiro up. Right now, I fear it will be too risky to move Yuu in her condition."

The blond man agreed. "I understand, Shinya. Best of luck to you."

"You too. See you at the airport soon."

After Goshi had left with Mito, Sayuri, and Shigure, Shinya turned to Shinoa and Satoshi and said, "We won't be able to wait for much longer. If Yuichiro does not wake up on her own soon, I may have to find a way to force her…"

But before the major general could even finish his sentence, everyone in the room heard the loud shattering of a window and assuming that they have been found by the vampires, quickly turned towards the sound with their weapons drawn only to find that there was none in sight. However, they did notice something even more alarming:

Yuichiro was gone.

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. In the anime, vampires are seen turning to ash as soon as they die. In the manga, the corpses of the vampire soldiers Mika ambushed on the aircraft were seen littering the floor so I assume it may take a few moments before they finally turn to ash.**

 **2\. Since snipers must be able to hit their targets from a distance and from almost anywhere, I assume they have little to no fear of high places. In my AU, fem!Yuu has never really been bothered by heights.**

 **3\. In canon, male!Yuu takes three curse stimulant pills which is considered a fatal overdose. Fem!Yuu is smart enough to avoid overdosing by taking two and a half instead.**

 **4\. Refer to "Who She is Within", Chapter 9.**

 **5\. In the Guren LNs, Shinya was originally engaged to marry Mahiru but as she was already in love with Guren, Mahiru refused to accept him, only pretending she did in order for her father, Tenri Hiragi, to spare his life. It is unclear whether Shinya had any romantic feelings for Mahiru but I based his scene with fem!Yuu on the assumption that he did.**

 **6\. The Shinya/fem!Yuu kiss scene was written to parallel the Guren/Mito kiss scene from the Guren LNs as well as based off a scene between Mina Harker and Dr. Abraham Van Helsing from the Bram Stoker movie version of "Dracula", in which Mina attempts to seduce Van Helsing in order to immobilize him and go to Dracula as fem!Yuu attempted to immobilize Shinya so she can rescue Guren.**

 **7\. In the anime "Fullmetal Alchemist", the Law of Equivalent Exchange is the principle that** **humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. Asuramaru references equivalent exchange to make fem!Yuu understand that she cannot obtain the power she desires without giving up something of equal value to her.**

 **8\. In canon, Asuramaru tells male!Yuu that he has only two to three minutes before the effects of the curse stimulant pills wore off but in my AU, I've decided to expand it to four to five minutes to give fem!Yuu more time for the dialog between her and Crowley that I plan for the next chapter.**


	25. Courage Under Fire

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate version of the Nagoya arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta readers, ResidentialPsycho and Falchion1984, for their help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!**

 **Chapter 25: Courage Under Fire**

"What the hell was _that?"_ Satoshi demanded as he turned in the direction of the loud shattering of a window, the aftereffects of the force behind it sending shards of glass flying everywhere as well as causing everyone's ears to ring.

When it finally dawned on them that they had not been discovered by vampires since there were none to be seen, Risa became the first to notice that something was amiss.

Or rather, someone.

"Hey, where's Yuichiro? I don't see her!"

Riku gasped, her eyes widened and darted around the room looking for the girl in question who was nowhere in sight. "You're right! She's gone!"

Shinoa clapped a hand over her mouth before she and the rest of her squad as well as Satoshi's and Shinya, rushed to the spot where the unconscious ravenette had been lying only moments before.

"Oh no! Don't tell me she…!"

"What?" Kimizuki asked. "Where did Yuu go?"

Yoichi gulped. "Um, I think I know…" he said, even though he left the answer unspoken.

Not like anyone needed to say it; they all knew Yuichiro had a one-track mind and right now, it was on her mentor. Even Takeshi, who was normally slow to catch on, knew it.

"Where else? She must have gone back for Guren!" Shinya answered grimly as he dropped to one knee and examined the now conspicuously empty expanse of Yoichi's cape before cursing himself for his carelessness in assuming that Yuichiro wouldn't wake up on her own and slip away while no one was looking.

"What are we going to do?" Mitsuba asked her superior.

"We have no choice: we must go back to Nagoya City Hall and find her before she gets herself killed!" Shinya answered. What he neglected to mention was that Guren would probably kill _him_ for failing to keep Yuichiro out of danger. That was, if he didn't kill Shinya for kissing her first.

"Exactly what I was thinking, Nii-san!" ***1*** Shinoa agreed, relieved that her adoptive brother was of the same mind as herself.

"That girl…what the hell is she thinking?!" Satoshi cursed. "Didn't she hear the major general's orders back there?"

"I'm sure she did, but we don't have time to dwell on it now," Shinoa answered. "Let's find Yuu before it's too late!"

Satoshi sighed with frustration but he knew the other squad leader was right. "I understand" he said before turning to Shinya. "Lead the way, sir!"

Shinya nodded. Against his better judgement, he gave the junior squads his permission and approval to go after Yuichiro in hopes that they would find her before she put herself, the mission, and everyone present at risk just for Guren's sake. Were she anyone else, Shinya might have abandoned Yuu to her fate for disobeying direct orders but since he _had_ made Guren a promise to protect her, he decided to make an exception.

"All right, everyone. Follow me!"

 **SSSSSS**

"Hey, human! Wakey, wakey!" Chess Belle demanded impatiently as she jerked on Guren's hair to wake him from his previously unconscious state.

The lieutenant colonel groaned as the pain in his scalp forced him awake. Upon opening his eyes, he saw the same purple-haired vampire girl who was eyeballing him before he lost consciousness from the pain of his injuries in the hallway where he was separated from Shinya, Yuichiro, and the other squads under his command earlier. Without moving, which was almost impossible anyway because he was tied up, Guren made a cursory scan of the room where he had been moved. Judging from the unfamiliar surroundings, the lieutenant colonel assumed he must have been moved to a new location while he was unconscious.

"Alright, I'm awake!" Guren growled, glaring at Chess. "What do you want?"

"Lord Crowley wants to know how you and those other humans got those super-strong weapons!" she demanded childishly.

"Oh, I don't know, little girl!" Guren shot back with a grin despite his painful injuries. "Maybe some fairy gave them to us!" he joked, knowing very well he was playing with fire by giving a snarky answer to the female noble before him. As cute and delicate as Chess may appear, he knew she was just as deadly as any of her vampire brethren.

The vampire girl returned his glare while tightening her grip on Guren's hair. If she had wanted to, Chess could have easily ripped it from his scalp and was tempted to do just that. She may have tolerated being treated like a child from Crowley and Horn but refused to tolerate it from a mere human.

"Don't call me a little girl!" Chess hissed. "I'm actually old enough to be your great-grandmother!"

Before Guren could make any wisecracks about Chess's vampirism stunting her mental growth as well as physical, they both heard Crowley cut in. ***2***

"That's enough, Chess. Lord Ferid wants that human alive and well enough to talk, so try to handle him with care, ok?"

Horn crossed her arms and sighed. "That's right, dear. Do we need to remind you that he's an important hostage we can't afford to lose, at least not yet?"

"Tsk, fine!" the younger vampire scoffed. If there was one thing she hated more than being reprimanded by Horn was being reprimanded by her _and_ Crowley at the same time. "I'll try to be gentler," Chess sneered before releasing Guren's hair and bringing her foot down on his head in a less-than gentle gesture of dominance to remind the human of his place while holding back just enough not to crush his skull.

Not that Guren himself appreciated the effort since Chess's foot pressed down on his head nearly as hard as if she'd dropped a bowling ball on it. As crazy as it sounded, Guren actually hoped to be rendered unconscious again so that he wouldn't have to endure this humiliating treatment any longer; physical pain he could tolerate but not degradation, at least not since he became commander of the MDC.

Taking Guren's silence as a sign of submission, Chess was about to question him again when everyone in the room heard the sudden sound of glass shattering and turned to see a familiar raven-haired young girl jump through the window and land right in the middle of the room.

Upon seeing Yuichiro's dramatic entrance, Horn raised a brow. "Wow, it looks like you were right about this girl, Chess! She came running back sooner than I thought! Humans really _are_ that foolhardy when they're fixated on someone!"

Ignoring Horn's condescending remark, Yuichiro took a stance and leveled her katana at the maroon-haired vampire lord who was holding her guardian and mentor hostage.

"I have no time to waste, so I'll get straight to the point: I challenge you, Crowley Eusford, to a duel. If I win, I want you to return Guren to me alive and in one piece."

Crowley flashed a grin at Yuichiro's audacious challenge, his interest clearly piqued, before returning one of his own.

"And if _I_ win?"

Yuichiro took a deep breath. Knowing that there was only one thing she had that Crowley could possibly want, she offered it.

"Then I will surrender myself to you."

Were he any other noble, Crowley would have found Yuichiro's challenge laughable at best like Ferid, or insulting at worst like Lucal Wesker since he knew there was absolutely nothing to stop him from simply taking her by force if he so chose. But Crowley also admired the human girl's courage in the face of impossible odds, a quality that was too often lacking among humans and vampires alike. And though it was not something he would normally do, the vampire lord decided to oblige her.

Smiling, Crowley made a gesture for Horn to step back and for Chess to remain where she was with Guren before turning back to Yuichiro.

"Ferid was right about you, Miss Hyakuya. You _are_ very spirited; I like that! Alright then, I accept your challenge. If you can defeat me in single combat, you have my word that I'll return your commander hale and whole. However, if _I_ am the victor, you shall surrender yourself to me unconditionally. And I'll be wanting a taste of your blood too. Even now, the scent of it intoxicates me!" he said while making a gesture with his finger to a bleeding cut on Yuichiro's cheek caused by a stray glass shard when she jumped through the window earlier.

Yuichiro gritted her teeth as she took a fighting stance. She knew that Crowley would no doubt hand her over to Ferid after sampling her blood if she lost, but, if it was a risk she had to take to save Guren, then so be it.

"Deal."

Guren's jaw dropped at the nightmarish scenario unfolding before him. "Yuichiro, no!" he cried, his eyes and mouth agape. "You don't know what you're doing!"

Were it not for the sting of the tightly wound ropes cutting into his wrists, the lieutenant colonel would think this was all just a bad dream; Yuichiro had never even managed to best him in combat, and now she was thinking of challenging an ancient vampire lord who had twenty times her strength and centuries worth of sword-fighting experience? Guren swore that if he and Yuichiro ever got out of this predicament alive, he would kill Shinya for failing to keep his promise to prevent her from doing something this stupid.

But since his best friend was not here to stop her, Guren tried to talk Yuichiro out of dueling with Crowley for his freedom and escape.

"Yuu! Listen to me! You don't stand a chance against that noble so get out of here while you still can! That is an order!"

"Quiet!" Chess snapped as she grabbed Guren's hair again and roughly jerked his head back to silence him.

Trying her best to keep her eyes on her new opponent since she knew she could not afford to let her attention waver, Yuichiro nodded. Taking the hint, Crowley took his own fighting stance, holding his heavy broadsword with one hand while making a beckoning gesture to Yuichiro with the other. Over the centuries, the vampire lord had picked up casual human slang and lingo from around the world but every now and then, he tended to lapse back into the speech patterns that were commonplace for the knights of medieval Europe. ***3***

"Come, my lady! Let us dance!" Crowley invited with a wolfish grin that highlighted the handsome features even his opponent had to appreciate.

Yuichiro wasted no time and made a sudden dash for the vampire lord with her sword drawn and her green eyes blazing, a move that almost took Crowley by surprise; he knew the human girl was impulsive but he didn't think she'd be foolish enough to try and take him head on. Disappointed, Crowley surmised that this would be a quick and boring duel after all and charged towards Yuichiro himself, intent on delivering a few quick, precise cuts that would subdue but not kill her. The girl might have been brazen, but she was fiery and he admired that; with any luck, Ferid might give Yuichiro to him once he got whatever he needed or wanted from her.

Like she had done in her duel with Guren at Ebina, Yuichiro dodged the attack using, surprisingly, a very basic evasive maneuver her mentor had taught her. Using her left tiptoe as a pivot to rotate her body, she dodged Crowley's blade in the very last second and circled him, taking a little bit of distance before turning around and attacked again, this time with a horizontal slash. Thinking quickly, Yuu parried with a vertical block although she needed to use both hands to be able to deflect Crowley's large and heavy broadsword which he easily wielded with one hand as though it was as light as a wooden bokken.

Catching onto Yuichiro's trick, which he had a hard time believing he actually fell for, the vampire lord went on the offensive, pressing the human girl nonstop while noticing that she only dodged or parried the attacks without countering at all. Despite everything, Crowley had to admit that Yuichiro's techniques were quite effective, especially with a demon to enhance her speed to keep up with his own. And not just that, Yuichiro also moved with grace and elegance, her movements fluid and precise. She didn't drop her guard for a single second, making Crowley reconsider his first impression of her being foolish and reckless in combat.

"My, this is turning out to be more interesting than I expected," Crowley said with a hint of amusement.

"Well, I thought you like being entertained, _my lord_ _,_ _"_ Yuichiro shot back with a smirk as though she was sparring with Guren.

"And I do, Miss Hyakuya," he admitted. "But if I didn't know better, I'd say you were only testing me. I must warn you that even though I'm fond of games, I am not your mentor or one of your peers; if you don't come at me with everything you've got, you'll never have a chance at victory."

"If that's how you want it," Yuichiro replied, taking her stance again.

With that said, combat resumed with the clashing of their swords becoming more intense. Both Horn and Chess as well as Guren noticed that Yuichiro was no longer on the defensive as much as in the beginning. Now she was taking advantage of the openings Crowley unwittingly provided to counterattack occasionally, causing their small audience to gape in amazement; it didn't seem like the ravenette was fighting, but rather performing a dance around her vampiric opponent, something Crowley wasn't exactly used to but did enjoy watching.

"Well, I'll be damned," the vampire lord said in a tone that sounded almost like awe. "It looks like I may have to start taking you seriously after all!"

Although she tried her best not to show it, Yuichiro found herself irked by Crowley's latest burn, which was almost as bad as the one he made about her not being his type in front of Guren, Shinya, and her squad mates.

"Are you saying these last few moments you weren't, Lord Crowley?"

Her opponent grinned. "I could ask the same of you, Miss Hyakuya. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, though. I _did_ invite you to dance, after all. But as much as I'd love to stay here and play with you all day, it's time to get serious."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Yuichiro replied, knowing well that she didn't have all day but less than three minutes before the effects of the curse stimulant pills started to wear off. ***4***

In that short span of time, the ravenette knew she would either have to kill Crowley or weaken him enough to admit defeat and release Guren. While both paths would undoubtedly be insanely difficult, the latter seemed more feasible, if only slightly.

Said and done, there was no time to play anymore. Crowley slowly started increasing the strength of his attacks. Due to this, Yuichiro started dodging while striking whenever she had an opening. With the difference in the size and strength of their weapons, Yuu had the feeling that Crowley was trying to break her defense and her katana along with it.

Such an assumption wasn't far off and Yuichiro started to worry a little; she didn't want Asuramaru, the prized demon sword that she risked her life for, to get broken in this duel nor could she allow Crowley to realize that if she could help it. The vampire lord shortened the distance between them and tried to break through her guard, while she countered by parrying the strikes as much as she could. When she slipped up a bit, he managed to force her into a vulnerable position and was about to deliver a powerful two-handed strike. Out of instinct, Yuichiro placed her katana on a diagonal guard, and focused.

Crowley raised a brow but did not halt his attack, believing that no matter what trick the human girl had up her sleeve, it would not be able to withstand the force behind his intended blow. Crowley even half-expected Yuichiro to evade his attack but what he got instead took him totally off-guard. Not only did Yuu stand her ground, but as soon as Crowley's blade made contact with her own, a brilliant flash of green light stung his eyes before a powerful force struck him in the chest, shoving him backwards and stunning him for a moment. And he could swear that, right before that instant, he saw that the blade of Yuichiro's katana was radiating a greenish-gold glow, manifesting the outline of a shield.

As a noble, his superior strength and stamina enabled Crowley to remain on his feet while a human, or even a common vampire, would have likely ended up sprawled on the floor from such a counter-attack but his eyes were still in a state of discomfort. As dismayed as he was that Yuichiro had managed to catch him off guard, Crowley still had to admit that the girl had indeed done her homework since she had taken advantage of the fact that vampires, especially nobles, had hyper-sensitive hearing, smell, touch, and of course, eyesight which could also be a double-edged sword in situations such as this.

"Well, that was rather unexpected and dirty of you, my lady," he said with a touch of humor. "Still, I must admit that I admire your resourcefulness."

Yuichiro smirked. "That sure sounds funny coming from someone like you, Lord Crowley. I've yet to meet a vampire who _doesn't_ mind fighting dirty to win a duel."

Crowley frowned and gave Yuu a look as if her words offended him. "Someone like _me_?" he asked. "Please don't compare me to the likes of Ferid or the lower vampires, Miss Hyakuya; there is still chivalry in me yet and I expected the same of you. Or are you saying anything goes to win?"

"What do you think?" she shot back. "Did you think I'd expect you to play nice and fight me with a hand behind your back? Such a gesture would have been insulting to me as a warrior."

"Well, I'm glad you said so because I actually _did_ consider offering just that to be fair," Crowley teased. And if Yuichiro didn't know better, she'd swore the vampire lord was flirting with her.

"And why would you do that?" Yuu demanded. "You'd never offer Guren such a thing. Is it because he's a man and I'm not? I'd advise you not to take me lightly just because I happen to have a pair of boobs, Crowley Eusford," Yuichiro sneered. Judging by his light-hearted demeanor, the ravenette assumed that her vampire opponent underestimated her more for being female than human.

"I wouldn't dream of it, my lady. In fact, I'm honored that you would save your best moves just for me and I'd love to see what else you can do!"

Yuichiro once again took a defensive stance and looked as though she was waiting for Crowley to make the first move. The vampire lord was familiar with black demon users; he knew they relied on magical attacks and underhanded tricks to compensate for their inferior physical strength compared to vampires and surmised that the maneuver Yuichiro used on him earlier turned the force of his own attack back against him, but only after doubling its strength.

And Crowley was damned if he was going to let himself fall for the same trick twice by rushing in to attack her right away. With his strength, which could be turned back against him with devastating effect, the counterattack would undoubtedly be brutal and for the first time in his life, Crowley found himself unsure as to what to do next. Centuries of sword fighting experience had taught him that knowing his opponent was half the battle and truthfully, he had expected Yuichiro's combat style to be very similar, if not identical to her mentor's. But after what he had just seen the human girl do, it didn't take Crowley long to realize that this wasn't the only trick she had up her sleeve.

"I'm waiting, Lord Crowley," Yuichiro said with a hint of impatience when she noticed that he had not made a move.

Not wanting the ravenette to catch wind of his uncertainty, Crowley decided it was best to let her come to him. Normally, he had no qualms about slaying his opponents in battle but Crowley also knew that Ferid wanted Yuichiro alive. And that fact made this duel a bit more complex than others he had fought before. Crowley had no doubt that he could defeat Yuichiro without too much trouble if he fought her without holding back but doing so would likely end up killing the girl or rendering her incapacitated and useless for whatever purpose Ferid had in mind for her.

" _Ahem._ It's rude to keep a lady waiting, _my lord_ _,_ " Yuichiro spoke up again, snapping Crowley out of his thoughts.

Smiling at her, the vampire lord made a gesture with his free arm. "Ladies first!"

"With pleasure!" the girl replied with a grin before running towards him again, ready to deliver a direct thrust to his heart. Although she found Crowley's combination of arrogance and smug confidence just as infuriating as Guren's, Yuichiro had to admit that he _did_ know how to be a gentleman, even with someone who was supposed to be his enemy. ***5***

 _A vampire with honor…who'd have thought?_ The ravenette mused as her katana's blade became engulfed in a greenish-black energy while she ran the distance to her opponent. _I almost regret having to fight a creature so rare…_

Out of instinct, Crowley stepped to the side, surmising that Yuichiro was moving too fast to be able to stop herself. His plan was simple: side-step the human girl's attack and strike her down with the flat of his blade or rendering her unconscious with a blow to the head once her back was exposed to him, ending the duel once and for all.

Yuichiro grinned, her expression a tell-tell sign that she knew exactly what was on Crowley's mind and, with a precision and timing that astonished even him as well as their small audience, including Guren, she managed to stop when she was just within two or so yards away from the vampire lord.

WHOOOSH!

Keeping her distance, Yuichiro finally delivered the thrust. And while her blade didn't quite reach Crowley, the magical energy generated a tornado that would've sent most opponents flying. Most, but not Crowley. He was lucky enough to get a foothold by placing one foot behind him and use it to brace himself against the impact, otherwise he could have been thrown backwards. But in that time, the ravenette managed to get to him and started assaulting him with multiple lightning-speed attacks. With his vampiric speed and reflexes, Crowley managed to block them without too much difficulty though he could not help but feel that that they suddenly were growing faster by the minute.

Still, even over the din, the vampire lord expressed his thoughts on his human adversary's fighting style. She might not quite have the same raw power in her attacks as Guren but her creativity and ability to improvise made up for that.

"I'm very impressed, Miss Hyakuya! You have disproven my earlier assumption that you wouldn't last five seconds against me and for that, I commend you. Why don't you show me what else you can do?"

Without waiting for Yuichiro to answer, Crowley wasted no time starting his own lightning offensive, trying to keep a relatively short distance from the girl in case she had another special attack planned. But whenever he tried to circle her to get at her blind spot, she also changed positions, keeping always in parallel with him. On one occasion, the vampire lord looked at the Yuichiro's feet to analyze her movements and could almost swear he recognized the steps of a waltz.

"A literal sword-dancer, aren't we, my lady? Now where did you learn to do that?" Crowley asked sweetly, though he didn't actually expect Yuichiro to give him an answer.

Not that she needed to. Crowley easily surmised that dancing must be another one of Yuu's hidden talents and his guess wasn't far off; as a child, she had developed a fondness for dancing as well as singing. And Yuichiro was lucky that Shinya knew a few moves and enjoyed waltzing enough to practice with her after giving her sniping lessons in addition to the joyrides they had on his motorcycle without Guren's knowledge or consent.

Crowley's suspicions were confirmed when he lunged at Yuichiro again. The ravenette whirled out of his path in a graceful pirouette, almost as if putting on a show for him. Despite the seriousness of their duel, she maintained an air of grace and elegance in her movements, something even Guren wasn't able to do.

"How many more of those cute tricks do you have, Miss Hyakuya?" the vampire lord pressed with genuine curiosity.

"Cute? Now who's testing who?" Yuu shot back in annoyance as she once again unleashed her tornado thrust which Crowley saw coming and was better prepared for this time. After raising his sword and digging in his heels to block the powerful air current, he forced his way through the gale to try and attack her again

Once she realized his intent Yuichiro once again raised the barrier that would turn Crowley's own attack back against him and unleash it at double its power. But the vampire lord was not one to fall for the same trick twice and spun around to deliver a stinging blow with the flat of his blade, not against her front but her side.

Upon his earlier observation of Yuu, Crowley assumed that in order to save her energy, which her demon undoubtedly sapped from her to keep up with his vampiric speed, Yuichiro had channeled more power to the front of her demonic shield and less to her sides, leaving them more vulnerable.

Acting on his hunch, Crowley soon discovered he was right when his sword found its mark and Yuichiro cried out in pain as her opponent's weapon broke through her barrier, knocking her to the ground.

Knowing that she couldn't afford to stay down for even a second, Yuichiro ignored the pain in her right side and quickly got back on her feet again, her eyes never leaving Crowley's.

"I see…" the vampire lord said calmly as his gaze fell on Yuichiro who once again faced him and took a defensive stance. "These powers and clever tricks of yours… they demand a lot from your body, don't they? And if I'm not mistaken, they have a time limit too, right?"

Yuichiro gritted her teeth, refusing to answer. Although dismayed that Crowley had figured out the limitations of her strength and powers sooner than she had hoped, the ravenette couldn't say she was surprised that he did; there was no way Crowley hadn't noticed when he observed Guren and Shinya as they attempted to flee from him in the hallway earlier.

"You done talking?" Yuichiro demanded, side-stepping his question.

Crowley smirked. Despite refusing to answer his inquiry, her impatient tone told him all he needed to know; he could see it on Yuichiro's face that she knew as well as he did that time was not on her side while he on the other hand, could keep going almost indefinitely if need be.

Instead of answering, the vampire lord suddenly launched himself forward with the speed and force of a cannonball.

"Urgh!"

Yuichiro was unable to breathe as she raised Asuramaru just in time to intercept the calamity that was Crowley Eusford, her lungs crushed from the tension of her magically enhanced endurance as they struggled to withstand the almighty force of his single yet terrifyingly strong attack. Already she lost her footing and skidded across the ground while their blades remained interlocked, the vampire lord continuing to push her back with his overwhelming strength.

 _Shit!_ Yuu inwardly cursed while gritting her teeth. No matter what, she could not let herself show weakness in front of her adversary. Yuichiro knew Crowley would not kill her, at least not deliberately, since Ferid wanted her alive. But that didn't mean accidents couldn't happen and she had to take every precaution to see that one didn't. Especially since an accident was more likely to result in her death rather than Crowley's.

However, judging from the measured glint in the vampire lord's ruby eyes, it would seem that he had aimed to force Yuu's surrender by breaking Asuramaru with his attack just now, an attack she had resisted by instinctively predicting his movements. So, now she would be able to steal the initiative back from him. Crowley pulled back his sword and readied himself for another quick strike to her more vulnerable left side, but Yuichiro likewise used this chance to quickly disengage and sidestep swiftly to the right before jumping back a few yards when she heard her demon calling out to her within the recesses of her mind.

 _You've done incredibly well so far considering who you're up against, Yuu. But you won't be able to keep this up forever. You can feel it, can you? The pills are wearing off which will make it more and more difficult for you to keep up with him._

Yuichiro knew her demon was trying to bait her into asking for his power but she also knew that Asuramaru was right. The time limit for the curse stimulant pills was nearly up and her fight with Crowley was still far from over. Yuichiro had known from the start that her adversary was not fighting at his full power in order to avoid killing her (and possibly to enjoy the duel more by extending it), which was one edge she had over him. Seeing that the vampire lord had not broken a sweat since their fight began, her original idea of subduing him was now likely impossible. The only option Yuichiro had left was what Crowley had tried on her earlier: to break his sword.

 _I hate to admit it, but you're right, Asuramaru…_ the ravenette thought. _Lend me your power- but only enough to keep up with Crowley._

 _As you wish…_

No sooner had Yuichiro made her request, she felt the skin on her neck tighten where the purple demonic runes started to appear, slowly making their way past the collar of her uniform and up her throat.

With her renewed strength, Yuichiro charged towards her opponent again with Asuramaru raised over her head. Considering the height difference between them, the ravenette had to make a jump before attempting to bring her weapon crashing down on Crowley's head.

And as she had expected, the vampire lord easily saw it coming and raised his own sword in a horizontal position above his head to block her attack. Though his arm did not even budge and they both knew it wouldn't, Yuichiro continued to press down as hard as she could. In the short time that he knew the human girl, Crowley had to admit that she was intelligent enough to realize the she wouldn't be able to take him down with brute force alone.

"I see… trying to break my weapon, Miss Hyakuya?" he teased. "You do realize I can still fight you unarmed, don't you?"

With a burst of strength, the vampire lord forced Yuichiro back, the latter performing a backflip before landing gracefully on her booted feet like a cat. Crowley may have been right but what he didn't know was that Yuichiro was also capable of unarmed combat as well, thanks to her tutelage by Mito in various styles of martial arts, though she would prefer to fight _with_ her weapon whenever possible.

Taking a defensive stance again, Yuichiro gave Crowley one of those smug smartass looks she used to give Guren whenever she managed to make him look the fool by using his own tricks against him, even if she had never been able to claim an outright victory over her mentor in actual combat.

"I know you _can_ , my lord. But I also know you _won't_. This is a sword duel and as a knight, you would have to admit defeat if you lost your weapon regardless of whether or not you can still fight without it, am I right?"

Crowley raised a brow at Yuu's inquiry. Though he had given her only the smallest hints of his origins, Yuichiro was able to figure out quite a bit more from observing his mannerisms and fighting style.

"You're right about that. But if you want to make that a condition for victory than I must hold you to the same rule as well, my lady" he replied before suddenly swinging his sword to strike Yuichiro's right arm with the flat of the blade in an attempt to stun her into dropping Asuramaru.

And It would have worked if Yuichiro had not seen it coming and quickly switched her katana from one hand to the other. As Crowley had guessed, the human girl wasn't as skilled with her left hand as with her right, but it helped her stay in the game as their duel continued until she was able to switch back. Only once had she used the barrier spell to repel her attacker but the effect was not as strong as before. By this point, their duel had become one of stamina as well as strategic combat to see who could outlast or disarm the other first. And unfortunately, the vampire lord had yet to show any sign of being drained despite Yuichiro's best efforts.

As expected, Asuramaru sensed his mistress's frustration and played on it. _Well, what did you expect, Yuu? He_ is _a vampire_ and _a noble after all. You can't outlast him with endurance; you need to end the duel as quickly as possible, do you understand?_

The ravenette gritted her teeth. Not only was she fighting an insanely powerful vampire lord like Crowley in the real world, but she was also struggling with Asuramaru for control of her mind and body as well. And while she may be able to subdue one, Yuichiro could not conquer them both at the same time. Guren had once taught her that part of being an efficient soldier was having the ability to make hard decisions and quickly. With this in mind, the ravenette opted for the lesser of the two evils.

 _I need more power, Asuramaru. Give me however much it takes to win this duel!_

In her mind's eye, the ravenette saw her demon contractor smile triumphantly at the one-hundred and eighty degree turn she made in her decision to stop restricting her use of his powers.

 _As you wish, Yuichiro Hyakuya. With this command, your body will be mine…_

Now it was Yuichiro's turn to smile. _But not if I lose to Crowley; you know that, don't you? If he or Ferid kills me or turns me into a vampire, then you will be purged from my mind and body…_

Asuramaru scowled and Yuu had to admit that the look on his boyish face at her correct assumption was priceless.

 _Well, we can't let that happen, can we?_ The demon boy said coolly as his hold on her became vastly stronger and Yuichiro felt the demonic runes spread further on her body. Earlier, they were visible only on her neck and throat but now they were slowly spreading to her face and down her hands as well as her legs.

Guren, Horn, and Chess, who had been watching the duel between Crowley and Yuichiro in silence the whole time, gasped at the girl's changing appearance. While the two vampire women were at a loss as to what was going on her, Guren immediately recognized the signs of progressing demonic possession; he knew Yuichiro was tapping into more of her demon's power to compensate for the waning effects of the curse stimulant pills. And at the rate Asuramaru's control over his mistress was growing, it would not be long before she would be completely possessed by him. ***6***

"That's enough, Yuu!" Guren shouted at the top of his lungs, hoping that his voice could still reach Yuichiro since that was pretty much all he had left to deter his ward from persisting in fighting a duel she could not win alone, even with Asuramaru's power. His own battle with Crowley as well as protecting Shinya earlier had sapped his strength too much for him to help her physically. That, and the fact that he was tied up while being held down by Horn and Chess made it virtually impossible for Guren to come to his ward's aid. "That noble is leagues above any vampire you've ever fought before so get out of here while you still can!"

Without taking her eyes off her opponent, Yuichiro made a scathing retort to her mentor, furious as well as wounded that he had shown no appreciation for her efforts to save his life.

"You disappoint me, _sir!_ " she shouted angrily. "Even after all this time, you _still_ underestimate me and my abilities! Do you want me to run so badly because it would embarrass you to be saved by a girl?!"

At Yuichiro's brazen accusation, Guren found himself groaning in frustration. Why did his ward have to take everything he said the wrong way? Why couldn't she understand that that he was telling her to escape because he wanted her to live, not because he was ashamed of her for being a girl and trying to save him?

"You little fool!" he growled. "You can't save me! No one can! Now will you _please_ listen to me for once in your life and get the hell out of here before it's too late?!"

If Guren thought his ward was angry before, he hadn't seen anything yet and nearly choked when he saw two demon horns burst from Yuichiro's temples as well as her face twisting into the same menacing expression she wore when she attempted to bite Shinya. If anything, his words had only served to enrage Yuichiro further, speeding her demonic transformation.

"Shut up!" the ravenette howled as she moved to attack Crowley again, intent on taking her anger towards her mentor out on the vampire lord. "You were always such a fucking hypocrite! How _dare_ you tell me to run, to live, while giving up on yourself so easily!? You've got no right!"

As used to emotional outbursts from younger soldiers as Guren was, even he was taken aback by Yuichiro's rage and cutting remark that they both knew wasn't far from the truth. Yes, he was a hypocrite at times, but the younger girl was wrong about Guren being willing to give up on himself as easily as he was making it look to their enemies and to Yuu herself.

Even so, the lieutenant colonel knew he had to choose his next words carefully while he watched Yuichiro continue to duel with Crowley. Judging from her movements, which were still executed with careful planning and strategy, Guren was somewhat relieved that his ward had not lost herself to her rage and demon, at least not yet, and that she still had at least some degree of control over herself.

Hanging onto the hope that Yuichiro could still be reasoned with, Guren made one more attempt to reach out to her.

"Yuu, listen to me!", he pleaded. "Don't use any more power or the demon will take over! It would be pointless for you to save me if you get possessed! Where is the logic in that?!"

Before Yuichiro could reply, Crowley finally cut in. "I think you'd better worry more about yourself than Miss Hyakuya, human," he said sharply. "She's as good as mine now and, as much fun as this duel has been, it's time for me to claim my prize."

Taking advantage of Yuichiro's hesitance at her mentor's words, the vampire lord suddenly made a grab for her right hand with his left and lifted her off the ground. Having been caught completely off guard, the ravenette found herself dangling helplessly by the wrist of her right hand. Which also happens to be the one holding Asuramaru. Even though she still had her weapon, Yuichiro knew there was no way should could fight back against Crowley with it in such a position.

"Hey, put me down, you bastard!" she yelled.

Crowley grinned in amusement at watching the human girl struggle in his grasp like a fish on a hook. "I'm sorry, my dear. You fight well, I'll give you that. But as much as I enjoyed our little sword dance, I'm now parched, and your blood calls to me."

Panicking at the vampire lord's intent to drink her blood, Yuichiro was about to kick Crowley in the chest in a desperate attempt to make him release her when both of them as well as everyone else in the room heard the loud crash of the doors being kicked down. Looking over Yuichiro's shoulder, Crowley saw a familiar blue-haired youth dashing towards him with his gold-toned katana drawn.

"Not a chance, bloodsucker. Now let her go!" Satoshi Hiwatari commanded.

Crowley said nothing but merely shifted his arm holding Yuichiro to the side so that he could deflect and counter Satoshi's attack. Even with only one free hand, it was still enough for the vampire lord to fend off the blue-haired human boy.

"Don't tell me you too, came here alone like Miss Hyakuya to rescue your commander? A very foolish move, human," he said in a condescending tone, his manner directly opposite of the formal politeness he had shown Yuichiro earlier when she challenged him for Guren's release.

Satoshi grinned. "I am not so foolhardy as Yuichiro, Crowley Eusford," he replied, ignoring the dirty look the vampire lord's captive was giving him for his snide remark.

Seeing no other humans with Satoshi, Crowley was about to ask the blue-haired boy what he meant even as he drew back his sword to strike again when he suddenly heard footsteps and felt a slight draft graze his side as if someone was running past and behind him. Realizing that a second human was indeed present, the vampire lord was about to turn around when he suddenly felt something akin to a whip coiling around the wrist of his sword hand and yanking it back.

"Well, what have we here? A human with invisibility magic?" Crowley asked in amusement as he used his strength to swing his sword arm forward, sending the invisible wielder of the whip flying towards the wall behind Satoshi.

 _Shit, he saw through us, Dark!_ Daisuke said silently to his demon as he quickly twisted in the air so that he hit the wall with his feet and backflipped before landing on the ground, although not as smoothly and gracefully as Yuichiro had earlier.

In his mind's eye, the red-haired boy saw his demon roll his eyes. One of the phantom thief's powers that he bestowed upon his master was a cloaking spell of invisibility, but it was useless if Daisuke didn't make enough effort to keep the sounds of his movements minimal as well.

 _Well, who's fault do you think that is, Dai?_ the demon asked in annoyance. _Did you have to run_ that _close to Crowley's side?_

Now that Crowley was aware of Daisuke's presence, there was no point in maintaining his invisibility so Dark removed the cloaking spell on his master to conserve his energy. The vampire lord's sudden counter-attack on Daisuke had disarmed him since his whip was still coiled tightly around Crowley's wrist but Daisuke quickly invoked the summoning magic to make the weapon reappear in his hand.

Once he was armed again, Daisuke wasted no time rushing to Satoshi's aid in confronting Crowley. Now that he had to fend off two humans instead of one, the vampire lord was forced to release Yuichiro and tossed her to the side, not realizing that was what the two boys were counting on all along.

"Now, Kimizuki!" Satoshi shouted without turning around.

"Roger!", answered the pink-haired boy, who had quietly managed to slip into the room without being noticed by Guren, Horn and Chess due to them being distracted by Satoshi and Daisuke's attack on Crowley. Calling out to his demon contractor, Kimizuki raised one of his twin swords to the ceiling and gave his command. "Go, Kiseki-O! Open the Devil's Coffin on the count of nine!" ***7***

The demon's response was instant and to the amazement of everyone in the room, an unearthly levitating coffin of obsidian wood suspended in mid-air by a glowing purple aura, appeared above Kimizuki. On the pink-haired boy's command, the black coffin opened slightly to reveal a pair of shining purple eyes that eerily begins the countdown.

" _One…two…three…four..."_

Slowing down his attacks on Satoshi and Daisuke slightly while still fending them off, Crowley looked up at the strange coffin that did not appear to be of this world.

"Hey, what is that thing?" he asked curiously. "Is this another one of your toys, human?"

Alarmed and thinking that the coffin must be some kind of attack on her lord, Horn called out to Crowley, reaching towards him with an outstretched hand.

"My lord, be careful! It must be another one of those humans' demonic attacks!"

" _Five…six…seven…"_

Without thinking, Chess released her hold on Guren's shoulder and snatched her rapier from her sheath. Seeing that the pink-haired boy was the one who summoned the demonic coffin, Chess figured that cutting him down was the best way to prevent whatever attack the ominous sight portended, and made a dash towards Kimizuki. Horn followed suit after she caught onto her friend's drift.

Kimizuki did not waver upon seeing Crowley's two retainers charge towards him with their weapons drawn and intent to kill, which confused the two vampire women for a moment. That was, until they spotted two brunette human girls, who appeared to be sisters, make their way into the room through the opened doors behind Kimizuki and ran past him to counter their attacks.

"Kitana, uplift!" Risa cried, using both of her war fans and calling upon her demon's power to emit invisible air waves to make Horn levitate helplessly in the air, halting her advance and leaving her only able to flail her whip before the brunette girl make a swiping gesture with one fan, which sent the blonde vampire woman slamming into the wall behind her.

"Mileena, sai blast!" Riku commanded, using her own demon's power to force Chess back by repeatedly firing purple energy from her sai, the blasts striking the vampire girl in the chest and keeping her away from Kimizuki as well as Riku herself.

Although none of Satoshi's squad's attacks were enough to take down Crowley, Horn, or Chess, it was enough to buy Kimizuki and Kiseki-O time to fulfill their intended purpose.

" _Eight…nine…"_

Once Kiseki-O reached the final count, the coffin opened and a giant, grotesque worm-like creature appeared out of it. Catching on to the pink-haired boy's plan, Guren shouted to catch his attention.

"Kimizuki! Yuichiro's lost control of herself! Get her out of here ASAP!"

The pink-haired boy nodded in acknowledgement to his commander's wish and order. "Understood sir!"

Yuichiro, who was still weakened and in a state of shock from being tossed by Crowley was about to protest. But Kimizuki did not give her a chance before he quickly rushed over, grabbed her, and tossed her into the gaping mouth of the creature inside his demonic coffin.

Once Yuichiro was secured and Risa was sure it was safe enough to do so, she turned to Guren and called out to her commander.

"Sir! We've come to rescue you and Yuichiro! Just give us a minute!"

Guren shook his head. "No, Risa! You can't waste any more time here!" Turning to Satoshi, he said, "This is my final order to you kids! Get out of here alive and complete your mission, all of you! Now go! And make sure you relay this to Shinoa!"

Like Yuichiro and the others, Satoshi wasn't keen on leaving Guren behind and at the mercy of his vampire captors, but he also knew his commander's orders were absolute and must be obeyed.

"Yes, sir!" he cried before giving the order for his own subordinates to retreat. "Daisuke! Risa! Riku! Let's go!"

Although not a member of Satoshi's squad himself, Kimizuki did not need to be told to retreat and willingly obeyed Satoshi as he would Shinoa.

"Everyone, get close to me!" the pink-haired boy ordered. And as soon as he was sure his allies in Satoshi's squad was close enough, Kimizuki quickly made a gesture with his hand for the coffin holding Yuichiro to fall in front of him before getting on one knee and striking the ground with his palm, resulting in a wave of orange-black energy that cut a hole around them through the floor, enabling the crew to fall to the story below and safely away from the three deadly vampire nobles.

Crowley, Horn, and Chess were about to pursue their fleeing human attackers when they suddenly saw the apparitions of Mitsuba, Yoichi, and Takeshi with their demon specters Tenjiryū, Gekkōin, and Kurashina Menou respectively appearing in the carved circular hole left in the floor, blocking any immediate chance of pursuit.

Crowley frowned and sighed in annoyance at the loss of his prize, Yuichiro, through the meddling of her infernal squad mates. "Man, I can't believe all this trouble for one human girl!" he remarked with a hint of exasperation in his tone, something that was quite rare for him to express until the day he met an enigma named Yuichiro Hyakuya. ***8***

"So, what do we do now, Lord Crowley?" Horn asked as she stood up and dusted her dress off.

"Should we pursue them?" Chess added, following Horn's gesture.

Crowley shook his head. "No. Let them go. Like I've said before, we've already got the one we really need and don't have time to chase the girl. Right now, we must head to Nagoya Airport to meet up with Ferid."

"Understood, my lord."

 **SSSSSS**

Moments after their escape, the small crew arrived at the lower floor and met up with Takeshi as well as their allies in Shinoa's squad, who had been acting as their rearguard, both to fight off any more vampires that might show up and to act as reinforcements in case Crowley and his retainers proved too strong for them to handle.

"How is she?" Shinoa asked Kimizuki worriedly as soon as she saw her pink-haired subordinate step aside and reveal the black coffin on the ground behind him.

Instead of answering, Kimizuki thought it best to show his squad leader. Since this was the first time he had actually used Kiseki-O's containment ability that was originally meant to take an enemy alive if needed, Kimizuki was unsure as to the condition of the coffin's occupant until he opened it to find Yuichiro alive, unharmed, and back to her normal human state with no signs of demonic possession.

Releasing a breath of relief, Kimizuki smiled and moved aside slightly to let Shinoa as well as his allies in both squads who had gathered around the coffin to see. Despite being asleep thanks to Kiseki-O's magic, Yuichiro appeared perfectly fine with only a few minor scrapes and bruises, a miracle considering that she had taken on a vampire noble of Crowley's caliber alone only moments before.

"It worked! She's breathing!" he exclaimed before reaching in and pulling his slumbering squad mate out.

As soon as he did so, the coffin disappeared in a puff of smoke and Kimizuki allowed Satoshi and Daisuke to help position Yuichiro on his back.

Shinoa smiled. "I'm glad…" she said before turning to Satoshi. "We couldn't have saved Yuichiro without the help of you and your squad. Thank you, Satoshi; you don't know how much this means to me."

Satoshi returned her smile and patted his fellow squad leader on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Shinoa. We're all in this together. We saw Guren as well but he told us to leave him and escape with Yuichiro. His last order was for us to survive and successfully carry out our mission."

Shinoa frowned as if in disappointment at their superior's order for them to abandon him but couldn't say she was surprised. "I understand. If that is his command, then we have no choice to obey."

"Right" Satoshi agreed before turning to the rest of their squads. "Everyone, move! We have to get out of here before the vamps decide to pursue us!"

"Shinya is waiting for us at the entrance", Shinoa added. "We'll be meeting with Narumi's squad on the way to Nagoya Airport. Let's go everyone!"

With the exception of Yuichiro, everyone in the two squads raised their weapons in the air.

"Right!"

 **Footnotes:**

 **1.** " **Nii-san" is how Japanese people normally refer to their older siblings out of respect.**

 **2\. In the OnS series, vampires are implied to stop maturing emotionally and mentally as well as aging physically once they are turned.**

 **3\. During his human days, Crowley was a European knight who fought in the Crusades,** **a series of religious wars between Christians and Muslims started primarily to secure control of holy sites considered sacred by both groups. In all, eight major** **Crusade** **expeditions occurred between 1096 and 1291 AD.**

 **4\. In the canon story, male!Yuu only had 2-3 minutes to fight Crowley while the curse stimulant pills were in effect. For my AU, I expanded it to 3-4 minutes to allow for a bit more dialogue between fem!Yuu and Crowley.**

 **5\. Unlike other vampires, Crowley seems to have a sense of honor due to his upbringing as a knight during his human days so he addresses and treats fem!Yuu as a lady in a gentlemanly fashion even though they are on opposite sides of the battlefield.**

 **6\. Unlike male!Yuu, fem!Yuu does not call upon Asuramaru to give her his full power until she was sure it was absolutely necessary to win her duel with Crowley. She is more cautious with her demon's power than her male counterpart.**

 **7\. Countdowns usually begin at ten but for reasons unknown, Kiseki-O's containment power only requires nine counts in the anime/manga.**

 **8\. In canon, Crowley is depicted as being very laid back and not easily angered or riled. Since fem!Yuu intrigues him, he is somewhat riled at losing her as his prize for winning their duel.**


	26. Sweet Love Survive, Part I

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an AU version of the Nagoya arc with differences from the original. Please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta readers, ResidentialPsycho and Falchion1984, for their help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!**

 **Chapter 26: Sweet Love Survive, Part I**

Shinya tightened his grip on his rifle and found himself tapping his foot impatiently and a bit nervously while he waited at the entrance of the main Nagoya City Hall building alone for Shinoa and Satoshi's squads to return. His plan was for them to join the remaining MDC survivors and head to Nagoya Airport to rendezvous with the rest of the Demon Army per Kureto Hiragi's orders. The major general had faith in the junior squads' abilities to retrieve Yuichiro successfully and report back to him alive so long as they cooperated with one another and worked as a team.

Or in this case, two teams. Shinya knew he was toeing a fine line, risking the lives of nine young, but elite soldiers, as well as jeopardizing the entire mission for the sake of one, namely Yuichiro Hyakuya. He also knew that there would be hell to pay if Kureto ever found out but decided that he would accept responsibility and face the consequences when and if the time came. After all, Yuichiro wouldn't have slipped away and made a rescue attempt for Guren if Shinya himself had not given in to her advances.

 _Dammit, what's taking those kids so long_ _!?_ He thought impatiently, even though a quick glance at his pocket watch told him that the junior squads had been gone only a little over three minutes. Although Shinya Hiragi was not one prone to impatience and nervousness, he found that his affections for Yuichiro tested his composure as often as Guren's. Whether it was the affection of a doting uncle or something else, Shinya wasn't sure anymore. But after what he and Yuichiro had done on the rooftop away from the eyes of the others not too long ago, he tried not to think about it since there were more important things that required his attention at the moment. ***1***

Deciding that he could wait no longer, Shinya was about to head into the building himself to see if Shinoa and Satoshi's squads were safe and successful when he heard the approaching sounds of heavy booted footsteps and released a breath of relief upon seeing all ten members of the junior squads, including Yuichiro, alive and counted for.

"Took you kids long enough!" Shinya scolded when Shinoa and Satoshi came into view. "You all had me worried sick! I hope you didn't waste time trying to fight those nobles since your orders were to retreat as soon as you retrieved Yuichiro!"

Shinoa was about to apologize on behalf of both her squad and Satoshi's but the other squad leader beat her to it.

"I apologize, sir," Satoshi began. "Yuichiro was in a bind with Crowley Eusford when Daisuke and I finally managed to find her, but we did not engage him in combat any longer than necessary to take her back."

Shinya sighed, relieved that at least _some_ of his subordinates were willing to follow orders, unlike a certain little green-eyed spitfire.

"Good. Speaking of Yuichiro, how is she?"

As if on cue, Kimizuki stepped closer to give Shinya a better look at the slumbering Yuichiro, who was sprawled on his back with her arms draped over his neck and shoulders and his own arms hooked under her legs for a secure hold.

"She's alright. A few scrapes and bruises here and there but nothing life-threatening. I'm just not sure when she'll wake up this time, though," Kimizuki confessed.

"We can worry about that later," Shinya said, brushing off the pink-haired boy's concern. "Right now, we need to get the hell out of here before the vampires' reinforcements arrive!"

"Yes, sir!" both squads answered in unison.

 **SSSSSS**

"Shit, what the hell took you rookies so long!?" Narumi demanded when he saw the junior squads behind Shinya as they exited the main Nagoya City Hall building. "Not that I wasn't expecting all of you to succeed, but if it were me and my squad, we would've retrieved Miss Hyakuya and been out of there in less than two minutes!"

Like her elder brother, Shinoa was also not one to be easily riled but for some reason, Narumi's words irked her, especially since both her squad and Satoshi's had risked their lives to get Yuichiro back and succeeded without losing a single member from either of their teams.

"Well, that's very easy for you to say after the fact, isn't it, Narumi-san?" she shot back.

Narumi looked like he wanted to say something but Shinya did not give him a chance knowing that they had no time to waste.

"Don't start!" the major general warned. "In case you forgot, we've got a mission to carry out. Now move!"

With the sounds of several aircraft approaching in the distance, no one was about to argue now that it was certain the vampires were catching up to them. Not only did the surviving members of the MDC have a deadline to meet, namely catching up with the rest of the Demon Army at Nagoya Airport, they also had to shake off the enemy nipping at their heels so to speak.

"Everyone, follow me!" Shinya ordered.

No one said another word and obeyed their new commander. Now that Guren had been captured and presumed dead, the entire Moon Demon Company was now under Shinya's command and he was determined to have them carry out their mission without fail.

After meeting up with the rest of the MDC who had been waiting for them out in the streets, including the former hostages that Guren and Narumi's squads had successfully rescued earlier, Shinya led them down an abandoned highway he knew to be the fastest route to the airport where Kureto and the Demon Army awaited them. What they would do once they got there, even Shinya didn't know, but guessed he had no choice but to trust his elder brother and superior officer.

Just like the remainder of the MDC had no choice but to trust him.

Shinya tried not to think about what Kureto had in mind but whatever it was, he had the feeling it was unlikely to be good. Trying not to think about it, he actually found himself grateful to hear Rika Inoue call out to him to catch his attention.

"Major General Hiragi! Enemy spotted up ahead!" the young blonde woman warned as she glanced over her shoulder and made eye contact with Shinya to ensure that she had his attention.

"How many?" he demanded.

"One, sir! He's dressed in white, so he must be one of the vamps!"

Shinya looked ahead in the direction Rika was pointing and was actually surprised to see a lone figure in the distance who stood right in the middle of the highway as if barring the MDC's path to Nagoya Airport. With his sharp sniper's vision, the major general was able to make out the form of a lean, but well-built, young man with wavy blond hair dressed in the white uniform of the vampire army.

"Just one?" Shinya began curiously as he quickly scanned the surrounding area for any signs of additional vampires and found none. This struck him as odd since common vampire soldiers normally did not engage in battle solo with larger groups of humans.

"Is he a noble?" Satoshi asked as he placed a hand right above his eyes to get a better view of what had caught Rika and Shinya's attention. Unfortunately, it was difficult for the blue-haired squad leader to make out any details of the vampire in the distance as his vision was not nearly as sharp as Shinya's.

"It doesn't matter!" the major general answered. "If he tries to stop us, we'll simply destroy him and move on!"

"Is that even possible?" Daisuke asked as he picked up on his sprinting to catch up to Satoshi.

Satoshi was about to say he wasn't sure since his own experience with fighting vampire nobles was limited only to Crowley Eusford. But thankfully, Shinoa was able to give Daisuke a reassuring answer.

"Don't worry, Mr. Niwa! Even if that vampire _is_ a noble, we should be able to take him down without too much trouble now that we have the rest of the MDC behind us!"

Kimizuki, ever the pessimist, or the realist, as he preferred to call himself, was about to ask his squad leader if she was sure of that when he started to feel Yuichiro stir slightly on his back.

"Mmmm…" the ravenette groaned as her eyes slowly fluttered opened. "Where... Where am I?" Yuichiro asked weakly. The last thing she remembered was Kimizuki grabbing and throwing her somewhere before losing consciousness. ***2***

"Yuu! You're awake now?" the pink haired boy asked in bewilderment as he glanced over his shoulder to see his raven-haired squad mate wide awake and blushing furiously once she realized that he had been giving her a piggyback ride without her knowledge (or consent).

"Kimizuki! What are you doing? Put me down, now!" Yuichiro demanded as she raised a fist and pounded it on his back.

Unfortunately for Yuu, it was a weak attempt since her intense duel with Crowley combined with the sleep-inducing magic of Kiseki-O's containment had left the ravenette too exhausted to make Kimizuki put her down.

Not that the pink-haired boy would release Yuichiro knowing her penchant for disobeying orders to remain with her squad when the life of someone she cared about was at stake.

"Sorry, but I can't do that. I can't risk you running off on your own again this time when we've got a mission to fulfill!"

Yuichiro glared at him since that was pretty much all she had strength to do at the moment.

"What!? What happened back there with Crowley? And where are you taking me?" she demanded.

Kimizuki was about to say it was a long story and that Yuichiro was better off not knowing the details when they heard Narumi call out, possibly to ask Shinya what to do regarding the lone vampire that was getting closer into view even though he had not made a single move to attack, at least not yet.

"Sir, what are we going to do about that vamp over there?"

"If he doesn't try to stop us, nothing, since we need to conserve our numbers!" the major general answered even though they both knew that was wishful thinking.

What both men as well as their other comrades in the MDC didn't know, was just _how_ wishful their thoughts on avoiding the mysterious blond vampire would be.

 **SSSSSS**

"Your Majesty, we shall arrive at Lord Crowley's location soon, so please prepare for landing," a male voice called over the intercom of Krul Tepes's private jet.

Though the pink-haired vampire queen was in no mood to speak due to how much was currently on her mind, Krul knew that a response was in order to let the pilot know she heard him.

"Carry on," she replied while trying to ignore the mischievous, and somewhat flirtatious, look that Ferid was giving her.

"My queen, you aren't looking well. Perhaps you should've stayed home and left all of this mess for me to manage?" the silver-haired vampire lord offered in a tone of false concern. They both knew it was a ridiculous suggestion since vampires do not fall ill as humans do, especially not nobles.

"I am just fine, thank you!" Krul snapped irritably.

Ferid grinned as he pulled up a knee from where he sat not too far from her and placed his arms around it. Since it was just the two of them, Ferid knew he had a bit of freedom to push his queen's buttons a bit without rousing the suspicions of the other vampires.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that since this entire area has been under attack by the humans for the last hour or so."

Krul glared at him. "You'd know all about that, wouldn't you, bastard?"

"Now whatever do you mean, Krul? I'm just as shocked as anyone else!" Ferid said innocently though he knew the vampire queen wasn't buying any of his bullshit.

And he supposed that was one of the things he found so intriguing about her; in all the centuries that they have known each other, Krul Tepes was one of the many vampire nobles who couldn't be charmed by Ferid's silk tongue.

"Hmph!" she snorted but said nothing else since she knew she wouldn't be getting any answers out of her subordinate.

At least not yet.

 **SSSSSS**

Mikaela narrowed his eyes as he took in the small regiment heading his way, his vampiric vision easily making out the distinct black uniforms worn by the human soldiers of the Demon Army, thus disproving his previous notion that the two vampire guards he flung out of the aircraft earlier had somehow survived their fall to the city below and reported his deception to their superiors. Mika knew that nobles didn't take kindly to traitors no matter who they were and expected his vampire brethren to turn on him if his betrayal was exposed.

Not that it mattered to Mikaela. The whole world could turn on him for all he cared. All that mattered was that he save Yuichiro from all those who would seek to exploit her.

 _So, it's not Lacus and the others as I thought…_ the blond mused. _Could it be that the humans were victorious in their attempt to take Nagoya after all? Not that it matters. All I care about is getting my sister back._

Mikaela closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. Yuichiro was near, he could feel it. If the MDC was coming this way, then Yuichiro _had_ to be with them somehow.

 _I know you're here, Yuu-chan. I promise I won't fail you this time!_

As if on que, the blond withdrew his sword from its sheath, sweeping it out to mid-guard. "My sword, drink of me…" he murmured. "Drink as much as it takes to give me the strength, I need to save my sister!"

The cursed weapon obeyed and this time, two red thorny vines instead of one, emerged from the hilt of his broadsword and wrapped themselves around his right wrist to drink his blood the way vampires themselves drank from humans.

Ignoring the stinging pain that was now shooting up his forearm, the blond took a deep breath before finally making a mad dash for the approaching survivors of the Moon Demon Company. He knew there could be no more than thirty or forty of them but even if there were a thousand, it would make no difference to him: Mikaela Hyakuya was determined to save the only remaining member of his family that Ferid had so cruelly taken from him.

Or die trying.

"He's moving!" Narumi shouted, making sure he was loud enough to be heard by his superior as well as his subordinates.

"Everyone, stay on guard and get ready to attack!" Shinya ordered while slowing his pace slightly to ensure that the distance would be to his advantage as he lifted his demon rifle and prepared to take aim at the lone vampire who was brazen enough to take on the entire MDC alone.

"Hey, what's going on?" Yuichiro demanded as she tried to lift her head a bit higher to see the vampire that Shinya has ordered the MDC to destroy.

"Don't worry about it, Yuu," Shinoa answered. "As weird as it looks, he's just one vampire, probably a common one too; as long as we stay in formation and let Shinya and the vanguard forces handle him, we'll be able to protect you since you're in no shape to fight."

Curious, Yuichiro was about to ask why there was only one vampire heading their way since the lower ones usually attacked in small groups similar to the human squads. But the ravenette did not get a chance when she heard Shinya give his next order once he saw that their attacker was not deterred by the fact that he was outnumbered thirty to one.

"Defend the front row!" the major general shouted. Though he had no idea what the blond vampire intended or what he was after, Shinya knew he could not allow him to penetrate the MDC's defenses no matter what.

Despite Shinoa's efforts to assure her that their vampiric attacker would be no problem, at least not a serious one, Yuichiro's curiosity got the better of her and she mustered enough strength to look over Kimizuki's shoulder. When the ravenette finally made eye contact with the one person she had chosen to overlook Guren's deception to find, Yuichiro gaped.

"It…it's him!"

"Who?" Kimizuki asked in confusion, picking up the pace until he and Shinya were running side by side.

"It doesn't matter; he must be destroyed!" Shinya answered irritably as he aimed his weapon at the advancing vampire and prepared to fire.

Yuichiro gasped and quickly shot out a hand in an attempt to throw off Shinya's aim by pushing down the top of his rifle.

"No, Shinya, please!" she begged.

Were Yuichiro not so weakened from her duel with Crowley as well as being forced into slumber by Kiseki-O earlier, she might have been successful in disrupting the older man's shot at their perceived enemy.

Unfortunately, once Shinya Hiragi was in sniper mode, there was very little that could deter him from taking down his intended target; he did not even notice Yuichiro's attempt to physically stop him from shooting Mikaela, let alone hear her pleas for him to halt his attack.

"Byakkomaru, destroy the bastard!" Shinya commanded as he pulled the trigger. The resulting blast from his cursed weapon sounded eerily like the roar of a tiger as an apparition of the white great beast that shared his weapon's name went flying towards the advancing blond vampire.

Mikaela's eyes narrowed at the glowing white tiger phantom that was heading his way along with its sender's intent to vaporize him before he could get anywhere near Yuichiro.

"Nice try, human. But its going to take more than that to stop me!" Mika snarled even though he knew very well Shinya could not hear him over the blast, not to mention the distance.

Focusing his strength into his counterattack, Mikaela swung his sword in a wide arc to emanate a gust of wind that was strong enough to steer the apparition of Byakkomaru off course, missing him completely and baffling Shinya as well as the rest of the MDC. Mika knew he could destroy the phantom projectile if he struck it directly with his weapon but doing so would require more exertion and slow him down which would not serve his purpose. After all, Mika wasn't here to showcase his strength, he was here to save Yuichiro.

"Shit, I don't believe it!" Shinya exclaimed with an expression of bewilderment since that was the last thing he had expected the blond vampire to do.

"Don't worry, sir, leave him to us!" Narumi shouted as he used his cursed trident to manifest a giant shield resembling a turtle shell to bar Mika's path. "Now let's see you try and get past this one, bat brain," he said with a smirk.

Mikaela scowled and gave Narumi a look as if he just done the dumbest thing in the world and swung his sword again, this time releasing a wave of red energy that the brunette sergeant mistook for an attempt to knock down his demonic shield; he expected such an move from Mika since vampires were known for the physical and direct attacks their superior strength afforded them. But no sooner did Narumi braced himself for the impact of Mika's attack, which was deliberately made weak to conserve his energy and strength, the blond surprised everyone again by using the distraction to simply jump over the shield and run past him.

"Wh…what the hell!?" Narumi exclaimed, his dumbstruck expression now mirroring Shinya's as he looked over his shoulder to see Mika now making his way further into the rag tag group of MDC survivors as if he were looking for something.

Or rather, someone.

"We'll stop him here!" Rika shouted as she, Taro, Shusaku, and Yayoi quickly moved in to attack Mikaela.

"Forget it, humans. I _don't_ have time to play with you!" the blond growled as he skillfully evaded the rest of Narumi's squad as well as their attempts to stop him, leveling his sword slightly to deflect Taro's weapon. Which was the only one that came remotely close to even grazing his clothing before vaulting himself right into the heart of his enemy's regiment.

Now that Mika had made it past Narumi's squad, the next line of defense was the squad formerly commanded by Guren Ichinose. And the blond knew they were an even bigger threat to him and his goal. Even so, Mikaela had no intention of backing down now that the person he had spent the last half decade searching for was finally within his reach.

"What the fuck? Does that kid have a death wish or something?" Mito asked in astonishment as she smacked a gloved fist to her open palm in a gesture intended to intimidate the young blond vampire in question.

"Wait, everyone!" Sayuri protested. "That vampire has been deliberately avoiding physical confrontation so far! It's not like those bloodsuckers to do that! What if he has different intentions other than trying to stop us from reaching the airport?"

Shigure reached into the pocket of her uniform jacket to pull out three kunai, her poker-faced expression unchanging as she answered her friend's inquiry. "It doesn't matter what his intentions are—we still have to destroy him."

Goshi agreed but even he had to admit that their adversary had guts to take on the entire Moon Demon Company alone when he wasn't even a noble.

"He's a brave little bastard, I'll give him that," the blond man confessed in admiration. "Unfortunately, this is as far as he goes."

Taking a long drag of his cursed pipe, Goshi blew out a puff of purple smoke that started out as a small cloud before slowly expanding to obstruct Mika's vision of his surroundings. Similar to what it had done to Crowley, Chess, and Horn back at city hall, the haunted mist started to distort Mika's perception of reality while wresting away control of his own senses and he gasped when he saw, or thought he saw, hordes of poisonous spiders crawling up his arms and legs. The blond might not flinch when confronting enemy soldiers, even when he was outnumbered, but if there was one thing that Mikaela Hyakuya could not stand were creepy crawly insects and arachnids.

Like Crowley, Mikaela knew that human soldiers, specifically soldiers of the MDC, relied on magic and other underhanded tricks to compensate for having far less strength, speed, and stamina than vampires. And while he may not have nearly as much experience as the maroon-haired vampire lord when it came to dealing with black demon users, Mika still knew enough of their tactics to suspect that the swarm of insects all over his uniform must be some kind of illusion designed to trick him into a panic attack. ***3***

"Did you get him, Goshi?" Mito asked eagerly as she narrowed her eyes in an attempt to make out the blond vampire's form through the thick purple smoke.

Goshi lowered his pipe, his lazy expression unchanging. "Have I ever failed you or the others, Mito?" he asked while feigning an expression of hurt that his crimson-haired squad mate ever doubted him. "You know my illusions can even mess with the minds of nobles so a kid like this should be breaking down any minute now."

Mikaela gritted his teeth when his sharp vampiric hearing picked up Goshi's careless words, confirming what he had suspected from the start. Knowing that the spiders were only an illusion steeled his resolve as he carried on with his assault.

"You can't fool me that easily, human!" Mika growled as he made a swipe at the purple cloud obstructing his vision with his sword, the resulting air wave clearing the path ahead for him.

Goshi snapped out of his smug and confident posture quickly when he saw that the young blond did not break down screaming in fear from the illusion of spiders on his body. Instead, he was charging straight at him and the rest of Guren's squad like a raging bull.

"Holy shit! I can't believe the kid actually saw though my illusion that fast!" Goshi exclaimed, nearly dropping his pipe in astonishment.

"Careful, this is clearly no ordinary vamp!" Mito warned before rushing ahead to defend her squad's illusionist since she knew that Goshi's pipe would be of even less use than Shinya's rifle against an enemy at close range.

"I'll assist you!" Sayuri cried before quickly pulling some magical talismans from her uniform pocket and throwing them at Mika to give Mito an opening to attack.

Mikaela narrowed his eyes at the small pieces of paper flying his way, making him recall his first confrontation with Guren Ichinose in Shinjuku when the older man tried to blow him to pieces with a similar attack.

"It's going to take more than a cheap parlor trick like that to take me down!" the blond sneered, making an upward swipe with his blade to slice the talismans in half before they could touch him and explode. Mika's previous experience with the enchanted parchments had taught him that their magical effects could be rendered ineffective if destroyed before making contact with their targets.

"That 'cheap parlor trick' was just a distraction, kid! Your real opponent is _me_!" Mito shouted before making a spin to deliver a backhand strike at Mika's face.

Mikaela said nothing but raised and circled his left forearm to block the older woman's fist as if he knew Sayuri's talismans were a decoy all along and expected her attack before lifting his right leg and kicked Mito in the side, forcing her back. ***4***

Being the proud and confident woman she was, Mito Jujo was shocked that the young blond was able to read her moves and deliver a counter strike so quickly and easily, something she had not expected since vampires were not known for their hand to hand combat skills.

"Stay out of my way!" Mikaela roared. "I've come for my sister, and you're not going to keep me from her!"

"Sister?" Mito repeated in confusion as she slowly stood up, gritted her teeth, and clenched the side where Mika had kicked her. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Before the blond could tell Mito to stop playing dumb and hand over Yuichiro, he gasped when he felt three sharp objects pierce his torso right below his ribcage. Looking over Mito's shoulder, Mika recognized the raven-haired woman who had nearly caught him in a spider-web-like trap with her glowing cords back in Shinjuku. While he had been pre-occupied with his crimson-haired opponent, Shigure took the opportunity to attack with her kunai and the irony of being caught in a surprise attack by her twice was not lost on Mika.

"Well played, human. You managed to catch me off guard again but I assure you it _will_ be the last time!" Mikaela growled before pulling out the three kunai from his body, one between each finger of his left hand, and quickly flung them back at Shigure to her shock and amazement.

Before the raven-haired woman could summon her glowing cords to block her own weapons flying back at her, Sayuri quickly rushed forward and used her blade to deflect them before moving to do the same with the attack she was expecting from Mika.

Taking advantage of the distraction his counter-attack on Shigure provided, Mika deftly side-stepped Sayuri's attempt to strike at him before shattering her blade with his own and running right past her with nary a glance. It was as if the blond couldn't even be bothered with finishing off Sayuri once she was unarmed and vulnerable. Such a move left her absolutely stunned and speechless as she turned around and saw he had given Mito and Goshi the same treatment of indifference. Thinking quickly, Goshi tried to conjure another illusion to deter Mikaela but wasn't fast enough; the blond swiftly knocked the cursed pipe out of his hand before briefly turning to box Mito in the ear when she tried grabbing his cape to stop him.

Shinya, who had witnessed the odd spectacle from a distance and was just as confused as everyone else at Mika's actions, decided that more drastic measures would be required to stop the blond vampire from advancing any further and gave his next order.

"Everyone, surround him and cut off his escape! We'll trap and kill the bastard right now!"

Yuichiro gasped as she realized that her brother's peril had become vastly greater. While Mikaela was capable of taking on even the elite of the Moon Demon Company one on one, he wouldn't be able to fend off everyone in the regiment at once if they attacked him simultaneously.

"Kimizuki, please put me down! I must get Shinya to call off the attack! Mika isn't here to fight; he just wants me!" Yuu insisted. As exhausted as she was, the ravenette could at least manage to raise her voice just loud enough to be heard by the boy carrying her.

"What? Are you out of your mind!?" the pink-haired boy demanded as he turned his head back slightly to look at Yuu.

Before Yuichiro could reply, they heard Risa call out.

"Hey, I remember that guy! Isn't he the blond vamp from Shinjuku? The one who says he's Yuu's brother?" she asked as she pointed one of her war fans at the vampire in question, who was now finally forced into physical confrontation with the other MDC soldiers that he had been avoiding up into now.

Riku gasped, putting her hands over her mouth. Although she had seen him only for a few brief moments during the Battle of Shinjuku, Riku couldn't forget the fiery blond youth who was fiercely protective of Yuichiro, even when they were on opposite sides of the battlefield.

"My god, you're right, Risa! It IS him!"

As soon as the Harada twins mentioned Yuichiro's adopted brother, Shinoa silently consulted her demon to ask if Risa and Riku were correct.

 _What do you think, Shi-chan? Is there any chance that blond boy could be anyone else?_

 _None, whatsoever, Shinoa. Can't you tell? Only someone who is truly close to Yuichiro would attempt such an idiotic rescue. And from what I've seen so far, he's done very well holding his own. But with the way things are going, that boy won't be able to keep this up for much longer..._

Shinoa bit her lip as she watched Mikaela start to struggle against the lower-ranking MDC soldiers coming at him one after another. In order to compensate for his greater strength, their tactic was to have one soldier engage Mika briefly before breaking off while another came in to take his or her place from a different angle and in rapid succession to wear the blond down before closing in for the kill. During the fray, one soldier had managed to get close enough to stab Mika in the back of his left shoulder with a dagger while he was pre-occupied with fending off at least three others soldiers at once.

Ignoring the pain, Mika quickly reached behind himself and grabbed the offending soldier by the wrist before flinging him over his shoulder- right at the other three he had been fighting and knocked them all down like bowling pins.

Seeing Mika's bold and unpredictable moves as well as lack of fear, even when he was clearly outnumbered, started to make the other MDC soldiers a bit more hesitant to continue their attacks on him.

And that brief moment of hesitance on their part was all Mikaela needed. Summoning every ounce of strength that he had, the blond dashed forward again with twice the speed he had before, lifting his sword only to deflect the weapons of the few soldiers who managed to get close enough to attack him while evading the slower ones.

"Shit, there's no stopping that guy!" Satoshi cursed as he raised his katana and took a fighting stance in preparation for what he expected to be an unavoidable confrontation with Mikaela Hyakuya. "Why does he want Yuichiro so bad? Did that noble back in City Hall send him to capture her?"

"Wait!" Shinoa said sharply as she reached out to still the other squad leader's hand. "I've seen him before and so have you! His name is Mikaela, and he's Yuichiro's brother! I don't think he means her any harm!"

"Yes, I heard Risa and Riku, but what if you're wrong, Shinoa? They may be foster siblings, but that still doesn't change the fact that he's one of the vamps now! We can't risk letting him take her back to Crowley, especially not after all the trouble we went though to get her away from that bastard!"

Shinoa wanted to protest further but realized that there was no time before Mikaela finally closed the distance between himself and their two squads. With his arms locked behind Yuichiro's legs, Kimizuki had no way to fend off the raging vampire and was about to release her to reach for his twin swords when Satoshi saved him the trouble by rushing in to block Mika's access to Yuichiro.

Locking swords with the blue-haired youth, Mikaela glared at Satoshi. "Get out of my way, human!" he shouted angrily. "I'm taking Yuu-chan back!"

Taking the blond's words to mean that he intended to return Yuichiro to Crowley, Satoshi refused to budge and stood his ground.

"Forget it, vampire!" he hissed, returning Mika's glare. "She's not going anywhere with you!"

"Fine, then! Have it your way!"

Pulling his sword back, Mikaela raised it above his head, intending to cleave Satoshi in two if he did not stand aside, when he suddenly himself being grabbed from behind by the waist. Turning around slightly, Mika recognized the young brunette archer he had saved from being cut down by Yuichiro when she went berserk back in Shinjuku.

"Stop!" Yoichi cried. "We don't want to fight you! We're Yuu's family, too!"

Takeshi found his jaw dropping at his sniping partner's rash move. "Saotome, are you crazy!? You're not even a swordsman! You don't stand a chance against that bloodsucker, so get away from him now before he kills you!"

"I won't!" Yoichi insisted stubbornly while tightening his hold on Mika. "Not until he sees that we're not his enemy!"

Losing patience, Mikaela turned to lash out at Yoichi when he suddenly noticed what felt like the point of a knife-like object pressing at a soft spot behind his neck. Not hard enough to draw blood but more than enough to serve as a warning.

"That's as far as you go, bloodsucker," said the emotionless voice of Shinya Hiragi, who had quietly made his way to Kimizuki's side while Satoshi and Yoichi had Mika's attention. Turning to the young archer who had unwittingly distracted Mikaela long enough for him to approach and catch the blond's attention with the tip of his bayonet, he said, "Good work, Yoichi. I'll take it from here."

"But…"

"Get away from that vampire, Private Saotome. That's an order," Shinya said firmly while giving the younger sniper a look that said he would only tell him once.

Unsure of what else to do but knowing better than to disobey his commander, Yoichi reluctantly complied and released Mikaela before backing away to let Shinya deal with the blond as he saw fit.

Fearing that Shinya might shoot Mikaela, Yuichiro was about to plead for his life when she felt Kimizuki tighten his grip on her legs as if telling her it was better for her to remain silent.

Without turning around, Mikaela lowered his sword slightly. "What do you think you're doing, human?" he asked in a low voice.

"My job as commander of the MDC and Yuichiro's new guardian," the major general answered coldly. "She's under my protection now. The only reason I haven't blown your head off is because I just realized that you're her foster brother. Even so, I won't let you take Yuichiro anywhere."

Unable to stay quiet any longer, the ravenette protested. "Wait, don't I get a say in this!?" she demanded.

Shinya shook his head. He knew he could not afford to indulge Yuichiro anymore. Especially since the last time he did so nearly got her captured when she slipped away from him to engage Crowley Eusford in a duel.

"No, Yuichiro. I'm afraid you don't. I know better than to let my guard down around Mikaela. And you."

The ravenette blushed and was about to ask Shinya he meant, but he did not give her a chance and turned his attention back to Mika.

"However, I am not an unreasonable man, Mikaela Hyakuya. I applaud your bravery in coming here alone to retrieve your sister and so, for her sake, I'm willing to let you to walk away from here with your life and limbs intact. But in return, you must _never_ come near Yuichiro again."

Yuichiro gasped. "Shinya, no!" she protested, knowing there was no way Mikaela would ever accept such a cold offer.

And she was right. For Mika's eyes glittered dangerously and without warning, he suddenly spun around and would have knocked Shinya's rifle out of his hand with a powerful sword blow had the major general not learned early in his career to keep a tight grip on his weapon. Especially when he was this close to an enemy soldier.

As the ravenette had predicted, her orphanage brother found Shinya's attempt at generosity insulting and ample provocation for further violence.

If leaving Yuichiro behind was the price he had to pay for walking away from the battlefield alive and in one piece, Mikaela would rather die fighting than give her up.

"Sorry, but no deal!" Mika snarled. "I'm _not_ leaving here without Yuu-chan, and if I have to take on every soldier in your army to get her back, then so be it!"

 _I'm sorry, then. You leave me no choice, Hyakuya,_ Shinya thought sadly as he reached for his back-up weapon with his other hand, an enchanted semi-automatic pistol identical to the one he gave Yuichiro, and aimed it at Mikaela's face, right between his eyes. ***5*** Silently convincing himself that this was for Yuichiro's own good, Shinya prayed that she would forgive him later and prepared to pull the trigger when he suddenly found himself knocked off his feet by a powerful force without warning.

"Shi-chan, stop him!" Shinoa's voice called out, shocking Mika as well as everyone else in the MDC.

Shinya groaned in pain when he hit the pavement hard on his side several yards away. This was the first time his favorite sibling had ever turned her weapon, let alone her demon, on him, and he could not help staring at Shinoa in disbelief.

"Shinoa…what are you doing?!" he demanded.

 _Good question…_ Yuichiro thought. And from the look on everyone else's faces, she was certain they were all thinking the same thing as herself.

Instead of answering her older brother, Shinoa merely stepped in front of Mikaela, as if shielding him from the other MDC members who looked ready to pounce on the blond after seeing him attempt to knock Shinya's weapon away.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, rookie!?" Taro demanded. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Treason is a serious crime! Step away from that monster if you don't want to die with him!" Rika added.

Shinoa could not help but smile sadly at her allies in Narumi's squad. Had they been aware that she was General Hiragi's daughter, even if not the favorite one, they might have thought twice about speaking to her in such a manner, let alone threatening her. And though she had never been one to use her family name and influence to her advantage, the purple-haired girl was about to make an exception and order the other MDC soldiers to back down in the name of her father, when she noticed Satoshi quietly walk up next to her until they were standing side by side.

"Satoshi…" Shinoa began, unsure of what to say to the other squad leader. Considering how much Satoshi Hiwatari respected and followed the chain of command within the Demon Army, Shinoa had expected him to turn on her for trying to protect Mikaela instead of what he was doing now.

Without looking back, Satoshi stepped slightly ahead of Shinoa and leveled his gold-tone katana in the direction of their allies in Narumi's squad as well as the rest of the MDC.

"Shinoa…" he began calmly. "You know my squad and I are always with you no matter what. But this time, I sure hope you know what the hell you're doing!"

The purple-haired girl found herself relieved knowing that she had Satoshi's support. And not just his; one by one, every member of both their respective squads followed his lead as well as hers and surrounded Mikaela in a protective circle. Even Kimizuki finally released Yuichiro and allowed her to what she wished. And her first instinct was to run to Mikaela but when the ravenette tried to do just that, she found herself wobbling on her feet for a moment before collapsing to the ground again. It was then that Yuu realized that she was still too weak from her magic-induced slumber to even stand, let alone walk or run.

"Yuu-chan!" Mika exclaimed before rushing over to take her in his arms and picked her up.

"Have you secured Yuichiro?" Shinoa asked, her back still turned to them. "If so, now is your chance to take her someplace safe since she's in no shape to fight, Mikaela."

Both Yuu and Mika blinked at the purple-haired squad leader in confusion. "What do you mean? Are you sure about this, Shinoa?" Yuichiro asked.

To the ravenette's surprise, her squad leader finally turned around briefly and nodded.

"Yes…" Shinoa answered with a reassuring smile. "Go with Mika. He knows what's best for you…"

"But what about _you?"_ Yuichiro asked worriedly even as she tightened her arms around Mikaela's neck slightly.

"We'll be fine," Satoshi answered. "Just get the hell out of here while you still can. And after you recover, we can meet at the Nagoya Airport as your guardian had originally planned. Just don't take too long, understand?"

As happy as she was to finally be reunited with her adopted brother, Yuichiro was still hesitant to abandon her allies in both Shinoa and Satoshi's squads to the rest of the MDC should they be attacked for treason, and was about to protest but Mika quickly cut her off.

"You heard them, Yuu-chan. You're not safe here so we should go now. I'm sure your friends are more than capable of taking care of themselves. Even without you."

"Yes, that's right," Shinoa agreed. "Now go, both of you. Please."

"Very well," Mikaela said as he turned and was about to make off with Yuichiro when he heard Satoshi calling out to him.

"Make sure you take care of Yuichiro, understand? If anything happens to her, you'll have me to deal with."

Without turning around, Mika answered. "Rest assured, human, Yuu-chan will not come to harm while I draw breath. Good-bye… and thank you."

Yuichiro said nothing but her eyes showed her gratitude when she made eye-contact with Shinoa and Satoshi for the last time before Mikaela finally took her away. To ensure that the other members of the MDC could not follow them, the blond made a jump for a nearby elevated structure before vanishing with his prize in tow.

Once Mikaela and Yuichiro were out of sight, Shinoa was about to wish them luck when she suddenly heard Satoshi call out to her.

"Shinoa, look out!" he cried, moving quickly to deflect an attack by a lower-ranking MDC soldier who tried to attack her while her thoughts were pre-occupied with the young pair she had just allowed to escape.

"Traitors!" the young soldier shouted. "For the crime of protecting that vampire, you must be executed here and now!"

Upon seeing the lone soldier raise his weapon against Satoshi and Shinoa, the others in the regiment were about to follow suit before Shinya finally managed to recover from Shinoa's attack and stood up.

"No, cease your attack! Do not harm Shinoa or Satoshi!" he ordered.

Too flustered by the junior squad leaders' seeming betrayal to even to heed the command of his superior officer, the first soldier was about to lash out at the more vulnerable Shinoa again when Narumi swiftly intercepted his attack by catching the blade of his sword between the prongs of his demon trident and jerked it away.

"You got a hearing problem, soldier?" Narumi demanded harshly. "The major general said not to touch them! Defy his orders, and YOU will be the one executed for treason!"

Now that he was unarmed as well as shaken by Narumi's words, the rebellious soldier finally backed off without another word. Seeing the rest of the MDC soldiers that were also about to turn on them back off as well, Shinoa and Satoshi sighed in relief before the elder squad leader killed the moment by turning around and leveling his trident at them.

"Don't look so relieved, you two. When this is over, you've both got a lot of explaining to do. Am I clear?"

Satoshi, ever one to take responsibility for Shinoa's actions and decisions as well as his own, answered for both of them.

"Yes, I understand sir."

Satisfied with the junior squad leader's answer, Narumi smirked and lowered his trident. While he may not have agreed with what Shinoa and Satoshi had done, he understood why they did it. For he was just as concerned about Yuichiro's safety and well-being as they were and can only hope their commander will be as understanding and forgiving.

Under normal circumstances, Shinya would have demanded an explanation from Shinoa and Satoshi for their rebellious act on the spot but the major general knew there was no time.

"Forget about the Hyakuya siblings! We've wasted too much time already and must get out of here before the enemy reinforcements arrive!" he ordered.

Takeshi gulped. While everyone else was preoccupied watching the spectacle that had just occurred moments before, the young archer's sharp hearing picked up the sound of choppers in the distance.

"Umm, too late!" he cried, pointing at the sky when the whirring sounds of multiple aircraft engines grew louder.

Looking up, everyone in the company saw that Takeshi was right, including Shinya.

 _Oh, shit…_ the major general thought as his eyes caught sight of death from above.

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. Because Shinya has a closer and more personal relationship with fem!Yuu than male!Yuu, he gets more worked up whenever he feels she may be in danger.**

 **2\. For my AU, I've chosen to have fem!Yuu awake and conscious while Mika attempts to save her so she can plead for his life. It will also be pivotal for their interactions in the next chapter.**

 **3\. In my AU, Mika has had a strong dislike of insects and arachnids since childhood.**

 **4\. One of the techniques I learned in my kempo karate class to block someone attempting to punch me with their right fist is to quickly raise my left forearm in a circular motion. It is one move in the eight-point blocking system.**

 **5\. Like fem!Yuu, everyone in the Demon Army, especially the Moon Demon Company, has some kind of back-up weapon to fight with in case they ever lose their main weapon. Back-up weapons used by Demon Army soldiers often consists of bombs, kunai, pistols, daggers, and magic talismans.**


	27. Sweet Love Survive, Part II

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate version of the Nagoya Arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I'd like to thank my beta readers, ResidentialPsycho, Falchion1984, and xLightningToki, for their help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!**

 **Chapter 27: Sweet Love, Survive: Part II**

Takeshi Saehara blinked in disbelief and gulped audibly when he saw what appeared to be a swarm of vampire soldiers jumping out of the choppers and gliding onto the field below. Saehara could guess at the confident smirks on their faces that their intent was to destroy the remainder of the MDC, whose survivors numbered less than three dozen.

"Saehara, snap out of it!" Shinya ordered. "This is no time to gawk! I need both you and Yoichi to help me take down as many of those vamps as possible before they hit the ground!"

Neither of the young archers needed to be told twice. On Shinya's orders, both Takeshi and Yoichi readied their bows and aimed their enchanted arrows at the sky, determined to shoot as many vampire soldiers out of the air as possible. Even so, it was highly unlikely that Shinya, Takeshi, and Yoichi alone could destroy them all before they landed; such a feat would require a whole team of skilled snipers and unfortunately, the two brunette boys along with their commander, were the only surviving sharpshooters in the entire regiment. This meant that the rest of their allies had to fend off the vampires that manage to make it to the ground.

"I'll help, too!" Daisuke exclaimed before channeling power into his whip to extend its length, and lashed up into the sky. He might not have been a sniper, but the red-haired boy's weapon could still prove potent as a long-range weapon, even if it required his vampire targets to be quite a bit closer to the ground to land a hit.

Not that anyone was complaining. As far as the MDC survivors were concerned, the fewer of their enemies that made it to the ground, the better. How that was achieved was irrelevant.

Even so, it was no easy battle, considering that more than a few soldiers were nearly spent after trying to stop Mikaela earlier, and this left the few survivors sorely lacking in the face of such opposition.

Daisuke, who was concentrating on using his whip's power to prevent as many vampires as possible from landing, failed to notice a vampire who had managed to land just a few yards behind him. Before the creature could rush in and stab Daisuke from behind, Yayoi quickly rushed in to deflect his attack, but not before he managed to land a fatal wound to her chest.

When he heard Yayoi scream, Daisuke wanted to rush to her side but heard Satoshi shout at him to keep concentrating on the still-airborne vampires.

"No, don't stop, Dai!" his squad leader ordered. "If we let too many of these bloodsuckers land, we're all dead anyway!"

The red-haired boy gritted his teeth. It was against his nature to leave someone in peril, especially if that person just saved his life. But Daisuke knew his squad leader was right. Hoping that someone else would be able to come to Yayoi's aid instead, he continued to attack the airborne vampires as ordered.

"Don't worry, Dai, we've got her!" Riku assured as she and Risa made their way to the older woman's side with the intent to protect Yayoi until she was healed by her demon's power.

Unfortunately, it was a futile effort. By the time the twins had finally managed to reach Yayoi, they realized that she was already dead, having been stabbed clean through the heart. Even with her demon's healing powers, the older woman could not survive such an attack.

"Oh, no!" Risa cried. "We're too late!"

"Worry about yourselves, little girls!" a female vampire sneered as she landed before Risa and Riku with her lance raised above her head and the intention to skewer them both.

"Monsters!" An enraged Taro Kagiyama roared as he quickly moved to avenge his fallen red-haired squad mate as well as protect the Harada twins. "Keep your filthy hands off them!"

Before the vampire could react, Taro quickly decapitated her. But in the midst of his attack, the older man had failed to watch his own back, for another vampire, this one less impulsive, approached him from behind, sword angled for the kill.

Desperate to warn him, Riku pointed over Taro's shoulder and shouted, "Look out!"

Thinking quickly, Risa tried to use her war fans to sweep the vampire away with an energy wave, but the creature had gotten too close to Taro by then. With a sadistic grin, the male vampire viciously stabbed the burly man from behind, piercing his vitals and killing him before Risa's attack finally swept him away to be sliced in half by Mitsuba's demon battle axe as soon as he landed.

Narumi gaped in horror at seeing two of his subordinates slain in less than two minutes. Being elite soldiers, neither Yayoi nor Taro would have fallen easily. But because Satoshi and Shinoa had caused the entire MDC to waste precious time with their choice to protect Mikaela, coupled with the standoff over whether to let Yuichiro go with him, had not only allowed the vampires to catch up to them, but also left the MDC exhausted, confused, and their formation in chaos. The vampires capitalized on this weakness with characteristic ruthlessness. Now, everyone had no choice but to fight their way out, since evading the enemy was no longer possible.

"Dammit!" Narumi cursed as he gripped his trident harder. As a squad leader, he knew better than to let his emotions get the better of him. But seeing his loyal subordinates and friends fall simply because the MDC were caught off guard due to the drama that had occurred just moments before was too much for him. Like Taro before him, Narumi was about to move with the intention of avenging his fallen subordinates when he suddenly felt Shinya grab him firmly by the shoulder.

Turning, the brunette sergeant saw his commander shake his head. "No, Narumi. They're dead; there's nothing you can do for them! We have to get out of here before everyone is killed!" Shinya said sternly before raising his voice to make sure the rest of the MDC survivors heard his next order. "Everyone, retreat! Do whatever it takes to get to the airport alive!"

As soon as they heard their commander's order, the MDC survivors obeyed, even as they had to fight off any vampire who tried to prevent their escape on the way.

Narumi and Shinya were the last to leave. Were he a lower-ranking soldier, Shinya would have left Narumi to his fate for refusing to move as soon as he was ordered. However, there were so few squad leaders remaining that Shinya could not afford to risk losing another one. He unhesitatingly backhanded Narumi across the face to snap him out of his stupor.

"I said you can't help them, Narumi! Now, move! That's an order!" Shinya snapped harshly.

Knowing his superior was right, Makoto Narumi finally obeyed, even if reluctantly. Taking one last, pained look at his fallen subordinates whose bodies he was being forced to abandon, Narumi turned and left the battlefield with his commander.

From here on out, there would be no turning back, and both men knew it.

 **SSSSSS**

Mikaela felt Yuichiro's arms tighten around his neck as he jumped from building to building with no specific goal in mind, only to take his sister as far away from both the humans and vampires as possible.

"Mika, where are we going?" the ravenette asked curiously when she felt her brother finally come to a stop on the streets below when he was certain they were too far away for any of the MDC members to follow- _if_ they intended to do so.

"I'm taking you someplace safe, Yuu-chan. That's all you need to know," the blond answered flatly, refusing to reveal anything else.

Yuu frowned and couldn't help thinking how much Mika sounded like Guren when he said that. She didn't like being kept in the dark and being told that it was for her own good by Mika any more than she did by Guren. With her curiosity getting the better of her, Yuu decided to press her brother for answers when her fingers accidently brushed the wound on the back of his left shoulder where he had been stabbed earlier.

As soon as Yuichiro's fingers made contact with his still-fresh wound, the blond winced in pain and nearly dropped her. It was then she realized that something was terribly wrong with him; it had been more than ten minutes since they had escaped from Shinya and the rest of the MDC, and Mika's shoulder injury should have been completely healed by now.

"Mika, what's wrong? Why aren't you healing?" Yuu demanded, her features tight with concern.

"I…I don't know," Mika lied while trying to avoid making eye contact with his sister.

That got him a glare from Yuichiro. And for some reason, it made Mikaela uneasy since it was the same look she gave him every time he came home from Ferid's mansion looking terribly pale and anemic from "donating" blood to the silver-haired vampire lord in exchange for favors.

Even after years of not seeing that sharp green-eyed glare, it still managed to send shivers down Mika's spine.

"Yes, you do, Mika, so don't lie to me!" she scolded before her expression softened and changed into one filled with worry.

Although Yuu was upset about her brother withholding things from her, she knew better than to waste time arguing. Mika needed help urgently, so it was wiser to find a temporary safe haven to better assess his condition.

"Listen, Mika, I'm not blind or stupid. I know enough about vampire physiology to know that your injuries should have healed almost instantly, but the fact that you're still bleeding tells me something is not right."

The blond sighed and considered trying to assure his sister that he would be just fine when he suddenly lost his footing and stumbled. Not only that, his arms were getting tired and he almost dropped Yuichiro again. And as stubborn as Mika could be, even he was wise enough to know when his body was at its physical limit.

"Alright, Yuu-chan, you win. What do you want me to do?" he asked tiredly.

"First, put me down," she insisted. "We need to get you someplace where I can take a look at your wounds."

"Put you down? Are you sure you can even walk? It didn't look like it when your pink-haired friend let you off his back not long ago."

Were Mikaela not injured and exhausted, Yuichiro would have snapped at him for such a remark, but she knew now was not the time.

"Yes, I'm fine now; it's _you_ that needs help." Looking around, the ravenette noticed a building that looked like it used to be a hospital. "Over there!" she pointed out. "I think that's a hospital. Or used to be. In any case, it's probably the best place for me to treat you, so let's go."

Mika obeyed and finally put his sister down. As soon as she was sure she would have no problems walking herself, Yuu took one of Mika's arms and draped it over her shoulders before leading him to the abandoned building. As soon as they started to walk, the ravenette noticed that her brother leaned quite heavily on her for support and stumbled more than once before they made it inside the building. This was of course, to be expected since Mikaela had been running with Yuichiro in his arms for miles and jumping from building to building while continuously losing blood from injuries that refused to heal.

As soon as they were inside, Yuichiro took a quick glance at the hospital directory to search for the patient rooms. From what she had heard, such rooms were rarely on the first floor of a hospital. ***1***

Turning to Mika, Yuu said, "It looks like we'll have to go to at least the second floor to find you a room with a bed to lay on. And I don't think the elevators are working, so we might have to take the stairs. Do you think you're up to it? If not, we can try the emergency room; that should be on the first floor, I think."

Mika took a deep breath and managed a weak smile. "It's better for us to go upstairs and look for a room. I'd feel more secure there than down here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

Ecstatic that her stubborn foster brother was going to be cooperative not once, but twice in one day, Yuichiro smiled. Mikaela was not terribly heavy so she should be able to help him up the stairs without too much difficulty thanks to the enhanced strength her demon contractor granted her.

"Alright then. This way, Mika," Yuu said as she led the blond to the stairs and started helping him up the steps one by one, stopping briefly whenever he needed a moment to rest, until they finally managed to reach the second floor.

"So where are the patient rooms?" Mika asked once they made it up the stairs.

"Well, the directory said they should be down the hall in the west wing," Yuichiro answered. "It's not far. Just follow me."

Mika nodded and allowed Yuu to lead the way. By now, it was taking all of his effort just to keep his footing and not collapse before his sister got him to the nearest patient room. As soon as they were inside, Yuichiro helped Mikaela into a sitting position on the bed after taking his sword and placing it in a corner of the room.

Hoping that Mika wouldn't notice the blush that was creeping up her cheeks, Yuu took a deep breath and asked, "Um, Mika? I hope you don't mind, but can you please take off your uniform so I can see your wound? Just the top, mind you."

Mika blinked for a moment but did as his sister requested. "Alright. How's this?" he asked before undoing his collar as well as the black clasps near his neck and shoulder and pulled down the zipper in front.

As Yuu expected, he was wearing an undershirt beneath his white uniform jacket. Which, had to be removed as well. But before asking Mika to take off the garment, Yuu made sure to sit on the bed behind him while secretly grateful that his wound, at least his most serious one, was on his back and not his front. Even so, Mika noticed her increased breathing and heart rate but said nothing to avoid embarrassing her.

"Good," she answered. "I'm going to need you to remove your undershirt too. If that's too difficult, I'll help you."

The blond hesitated for a moment before giving in. While his uniform jacket could be easily opened from the front, removing the undershirt would require pulling it over his head. And such a thing was somewhat more difficult and painful with his shoulder injury so Mika allowed Yuu to assist him in removing it before she placed the garment on a table besides the bed.

Once both Mika's jacket and undershirt were removed, Yuichiro examined the tender wound that made him nearly drop her when she accidently touched it. As Yuichiro had suspected, he was still bleeding, which worried her because it meant that his vampiric regenerative abilities had become inactive. Even the less serious puncture wounds on Mikaela's torso from Shigure's kunai still bled with no signs of clotting.

As a black demon user and not a field medic, Yuichiro only knew basic first aid. She was never required to learn more advanced techniques of treating injuries since her demon was quick to heal any she happened to sustain in battle as long as they were not direct hits to her vital organs. Even if the hospital could provide her with everything she needed to treat Mika's injuries, Yuu herself did not have enough knowledge to sew his wounds shut with stitches; all she knew how to do was stop the bleeding with gauze and direct pressure. But that wouldn't be enough to keep Mika's stab wounds from re-opening if he tried to move again. At this point, there was only one thing Yuichiro could think of to do—she consulted her demon contractor.

 _Asuramaru, I need your help…_

 _Yes, what is it, Yuu?_

 _I need to heal Mika's injuries. But I don't know how to sew a wound together even if I had the stitches. Can you transfer some of your healing magic to Mika through me?_

The demon boy was silent for a moment as if considering his mistress's request. _I'm not sure if that's possible, Yuu,_ he answered. _I have never tried such a thing before. After all, my contract is with you, not your brother._

 _I know_ _,_ _but Mika needs help_ _,_ _and I can think of nothing else. Can you at the very least try?_

It was very rare for a demon to be moved to pity, but if anyone can make that happen, it was Yuichiro Hyakuya. Were she anyone else, Asuramaru would have told her not to bother, but he actually liked Yuu enough to grant her favors. Even if such favors may not yield any rewards for him **. *2***

 _Very well, I'll try. It will require you to make some physical contact with his injuries_ _,_ _so I suggest you take your gloves off first._

 _Of course._

Now that she had secured Asuramaru's cooperation, Yuichiro removed her blood-stained gloves and tossed them aside. The ravenette had never liked wearing them and only did so because they were required as part of her uniform. But now that her white gloves were stained with wet blood that could also hamper her ability to keep a tight grip on her sword, it gave Yuichiro the perfect excuse to discard them permanently before tending to Mikaela's injuries.

"Mika, listen to me," Yuichiro began. "I'm going to try calling on my demon's healing powers to treat your wounds, but that will require me to touch them. It may hurt a bit, but I need you to bear with me, okay?"

Mika nodded without turning around. "All right, Yuu-chan. I trust you."

Now that she had secured her brother's cooperation, Yuichiro placed one hand over Mikaela's shoulder wound and snaked her free arm around his waist to place her other hand over the three kunai wounds beneath his ribcage. Ignoring the less-than-comfortable feeling of Mika's blood staining her own skin, Yuu closed her eyes and concentrated. Since this was the first time she had ever tried to heal someone else's injuries with Asuramaru's power, the ravenette did her best to imagine the demon's healing magic flowing from her body to Mika's.

For a few moments, Yuichiro remained in a state of silent concentration until she could feel Mikaela's wounds slowly starting to mend and close beneath her fingers, indicating that the transfer was successful.

Sighing in relief, Yuichiro removed her hands and asked, "How do you feel, Mika?"

As if in answer, the blond ran his hands behind his left shoulder and lower torso and was relieved to find that his sister's efforts to heal his injuries were indeed successful. Even the pain was gone.

Turning to face Yuu, Mika said, "I feel much better. Thank you, Yuu-chan."

Yuichiro was about to say, "You're welcome," when she noticed that something still wasn't right with her brother. It was not lost on her that Mikaela looked even paler than a vampire should and a cold perspiration still bespangled his brow.

"Mika, you're still not okay. What is it?"

The blond hesitated for a moment as if he wasn't sure what to say. Knowing that his sister would not leave him alone until he gave her an answer, and an honest one, he confessed.

"I'm a bit… thirsty, Yuu-chan…"

Although Mika said nothing else, Yuu understood what he meant. Despite her success in healing her brother's injuries with Asuramaru's power, it did nothing to sate his bloodthirst.

"I understand…" she said quietly before reaching for her own uniform collar.

Alarmed, Mikaela grabbed her hands before she could even touch it. "W-what do you think you're doing, Yuu-chan?!" he demanded.

Yuichiro gave him a look as if he had just asked the dumbest question in the world. "What does it look like? You're obviously in need of blood, or have you forgotten that you're a vampire?"

The blond shook his head fiercely in protest. "No, I have not. But I don't want it to be you! Please, there has to be some other way!" he insisted.

Yuichiro was about the say there wasn't when she suddenly remembered that they were in a hospital of all places.

"I think there might be," Yuu said quietly. "Since this place used to be a hospital, there might be some blood stored here somewhere. I just have to find out where, but that might take a little time. Can you wait? If you need blood now, then it's better to just take mine."

Mika sighed in relief. Though he would prefer to have blood right away, he was willing to wait as long as it meant he didn't have to take his sister's.

"It's all right, Yuu-chan. I'll wait."

Yuichiro got up. "Okay, then. I'll try finding some. Just wait right here, Mika," she said before leaving the room and closing the door behind her, even though she knew it wasn't necessary since she and Mikaela were likely the only ones in the hospital. It was due more to force of habit, and she made sure she memorized her brother's room number.

Although the ravenette had never been in an actual hospital (only the small private clinics her parents took her to as a child whenever she needed her routine check-ups), Yuichiro still had a pretty good idea where to find the blood Mikaela needed. ***3*** She recalled hearing Sayuri mention that hospitals normally do not stock blood but order it from blood banks for patients as needed. Yuu also recalled Sayuri mentioning that blood was kept in a transfusion laboratory under specific conditions until ready for use. And though Yuichiro was wise enough to know that stored blood could only last for so long, especially if the hospital wasn't getting any power from the electric grid, she still had to see if she can find some, if only to satisfy Mikaela. ***4***

Using the hospital directory, Yuichiro was able to find the blood transfusion laboratory where she opened the ice box to see if there were any packets or tubes with the precious liquid needed to save her brother's life. As the ravenette had suspected, there was no refrigeration since the hospital had been abandoned for nearly a decade, and the ice boxes were ominously warm inside. However, she did manage to find a few blood packets. Picking one up, Yuichiro felt her stomach turn when she saw that the liquid inside was a dull brown color. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the blood was no longer fresh, but Yuu could not help wondering if Mika could still use it.

Against her better judgment, Yuichiro unsheathed her katana slightly and used the blade to slice open the blood packet. As soon as she did, she wished she hadn't. Knowing the blood wasn't fresh did nothing to prepare Yuichiro for the horrible stench that hit her like a ton of bricks and nearly made her gag.

 _This is awful! There's no way I can give this horrible blood to Mika_ _!_ the ravenette thought in disgust. If anything, the foul liquid would make her brother worse, possibly even kill him faster. The stench of the spoiled blood was so bad, it even made Asuramaru cringe.

 _Yuu, get rid of that blood packet. The smell is gross_ _,_ _and it's making me sick…_ the demon boy complained.

 _Wait, you can actually smell it? I had no idea you could!_ Yuichiro thought incredulously.

 _And why wouldn't I be able to, Miss Hyakuya? If I can see the world through your eyes, it's not farfetched to think I can also smell it through your nose. Especially if it's something this awful…_ Asuramaru answered wryly. ***5***

For once, Yuichiro didn't argue with her demon and flung the blood packet as far away from herself as she could. Now that she knew just how bad spoiled blood can be, opening any of the other packets was out of the question.

 _Ok, I get the point. Now that I know we can't use any of this blood, the only thing left is to offer Mika mine again. But how am I going to get him to take it?_ Yuichiro thought in exasperation.

 _Sorry, Yuu, but I'm afraid you're on your own with that. I've already done all I could to help your brother._

 _Yes, I know. And I appreciate it. I guess the only thing I can do is be direct and tell Mika there's no other way. As stubborn as he is, he'll just have to accept my blood if he wants to live…_

 _Good luck with that…_

 _Thanks, Asuramaru. I'll probably be needing it…_

 **SSSSSS**

Mikaela placed an arm over his forehead as he gazed up at the ceiling of his hospital room. After Yuichiro had left, the blond decided to lie down on his bed after removing his boots. He also decided to put his undershirt and uniform jacket in front of a window in order to let the sun burn the bloodstains away. ***6*** As unappealing as his white uniform looked now, Mika knew he would have to make do with it since that was pretty much all he had to wear at the moment. And as strange as it sounds, Mika actually wished the vampire army allowed their soldiers to wear black uniforms so that dirt and blood stains wouldn't look so obvious. But since the appearance of his uniform was the last thing he should be worried about, Mikaela pushed the thought to the back of his mind as he waited for Yuichiro's return.

 _I feel so tired…_ the blond thought wearily. _Am I dying? I haven't fed in days…_

Trying to ignore the ache in his throat, Mika slowly closed his eyes. If he could not feed, then he would try to sleep to stave off his thirst a little longer…

A few minutes later, Yuichiro returned and, not wanting to startle her brother, slowly opened the door to his room before slipping in. As soon she noticed Mika lying still and motionless on the bed, Yuu gasped and rushed over to him.

 _Am I too late?_ she thought in despair. _No, no, no, this cannot be!_

Fearing the worst, Yuichiro gently tried to shake her brother awake, but he remained unresponsive, making her wish she had never left his side in a futile attempt to find usable blood.

Yuichiro was about to shake Mikaela harder when he suddenly opened his eyes and gave her a feral look. Before Yuu could even utter a word, Mika suddenly grabbed her by the throat and flipped her onto the bed, his fangs bared like a hungry wolf.

Before Mika could cut off her airways and render her unable to speak, Yuu cried out in a desperate attempt to bring him to his senses.

"Mika, stop! You're hurting me!"

The blond tightened his grip on Yuichiro's throat for a brief moment and just when she felt like she was about to pass out from lack of oxygen, Mikaela finally forced himself to release her. After she was freed, Yuu found herself coughing to get air back into her lungs and it didn't take long for Mika to realize what he had just done. Disgusted with himself, the blond quickly backed off.

"I…I'm sorry, Yuu-chan!" he apologized. "I don't know what came over me!"

Technically, this was a lie. They both knew exactly what came over him, but Mikaela could not bring himself to admit it. However, it did not matter to Yuichiro; her only concern was for his well-being, and she tried to reach for him.

"Mika…" she began. But her brother would not let her any closer.

"Yuu-chan, please, you must stay away from me. I don't want to hurt you…"

"But _you're_ hurt…" she said sadly. "You need blood and fast. I tried to find you some but all the blood here has gone bad so that means you must have a live donor: me."

"No, Yuu-chan, that's out of the question!" Mika protested fiercely.

Yuichiro glared at him. "What choice do we have? Do you want to die?"

Mikaela sighed in frustration and returned her glare. "Yuu-chan, you don't understand. I've never drank the blood of a human before."

Yuichiro stared at Mikaela as if she wasn't sure whether or not to believe him. "What? That's ridiculous! What have you been drinking up until now?"

"I've sustained myself on the blood of the vampire queen who turned me: Krul Tepes." ***7***

"I get it, but she's not here now, is she?"

Now it was Mika's turn to glare at his sister. "You're missing the point, Yuu-chan! If I drink your blood now, I'll become a complete vampire and be stuck like this forever!"

"And if you don't, you'll die right here and now, so which would you prefer?" she shot back.

Mikaela groaned. "Yuu-chan, please don't make this harder on me than it already is…" he begged.

Once she realized that their argument wasn't going anywhere, Yuichiro tried a different approach.

"Mika, please, even if you became a complete vampire, would it be so bad? At least, you will live…"

The blond regarded his sister with a look of bleak terror that deeply shook her before replying.

"A life as a vampire is no life at all…"

Yuichiro frowned and moved closer to Mikaela. This time, he did not try to back away from her. Placing her hands on both sides of his face, Yuichiro forced him to look into her eyes.

"If that's how you truly felt, then why didn't you go out into the sun unprotected and end your life a long time ago? You must have had a reason to keep living until now," she said.

Mika was silent for a moment. With the way his sister was looking at him, there was no way he could bring himself to lie to her.

"Yes, I did. You…"

"And now I'm here with you. Please, Mika, I don't know what happened to you when we were separated all those years ago, but I do know that I want you to _live_ for me, not die for me."

"I…"

Before Mikaela could say anything else, Yuichiro reached for the collar of her uniform jacket and undid the buttons before pulling it down, exposing her neck completely.

The blond felt his cheeks growing hot when he noticed that Yuichiro's neck wasn't the only thing bared to his gaze; the same bosom she used to entice Shinya with was as well.

"Um, Yuu-chan?" he began nervously.

Yuichiro looked at him curiously. "Yes?"

"You don't have to pull it down that much…"

At first, Yuu didn't know what Mika meant until she saw the pink hue on his cheeks. Even in this dire situation, she could not help but find it rather cute.

"Oh… I'm sorry. If you want me to pull it back up…"

Although Yuichiro left her sentence unfinished, Mikaela knew exactly what she meant and scowled.

"This is blackmail, Yuu-chan…"

Knowing that she had her brother exactly where she wanted him, Yuu could not help smiling in satisfaction.

"Whatever it takes to break that stubborn streak of yours, Mika…" she teased.

The blond narrowed his eyes. "I never thought I'd say this but your guardian should have taken the switch to you as soon as he discovered your knack for manipulation, Yuu-chan…"

Yuichiro gave him a mischievous look. "Would you be surprised if I said I can bend even Guren to my will sometimes?"

Looking at his foster sister now, Mikaela couldn't say that he would. By this point, he was willing to do anything just to get Yuichiro to cover up her cleavage in addition to quenching his terrible thirst.

"Alright, you win. But we'll do this on my terms, ok?"

"Ok."

After a moment's hesitation, the blond made a gesture for Yuichiro to sit on his lap. With the exception of Krul, he had never taken blood from a live donor before. And while Yuichiro was no delicate flower, Mikaela still wanted her to be as comfortable as possible for this, so he placed his arms around her shoulders and lower back in a gentle embrace.

"Relax, Yuu-chan. I'll hold you up."

Yuichiro said nothing but complied and titled her head back before cocking her neck to the side to give her brother access to it.

"Please close your eyes."

"Um, ok. But why?" she asked curiously.

"Because I don't want you to see this part of me, the part that isn't human anymore…"

At first Yuichiro didn't understand what Mikaela meant before it dawned on her that he didn't want her to see his fangs. Not that it would have bothered Yuu herself in the slightest. But if it made Mika more comfortable, then she was willing to grant him that small favor and did as he asked.

Once he felt Yuichiro relax completely in his gentle embrace, Mikaela dropped his head down towards the curve of her neck as he opened his mouth, his hot breath making goosebumps rise on her skin. As an incomplete vampire, Mikaela still retained some body heat and a near-human metabolism, both of which had allowed him to continue aging up until this point.

Knowing that this would hurt less if she were relaxed, Yuichiro did her best not to tense up and tried to think of it as being no different than getting a shot at the doctor's.

 _Except getting a shot has never made me feel so fluttery …_ she thought before feeling a sharp pair of fangs finally pierce her skin and into her veins.

Not wanting Mika to lose his nerve and stop before he had the blood he needed, Yuu bit her lip to keep from crying out loud. Truth to be told, being bitten by a vampire did not hurt as much as she thought it would. But the ravenette supposed that that was because her brother was making great effort to be gentle, unlike other vampires who may not care if they end up tearing their victims' throats or sucking them dry. She was simply startled because the sensation was foreign to her but after a moment, the pain faded and she was able to relax again.

Trying to think pleasant thoughts to pass the time, Yuichiro felt a wave a dizziness and light-headedness wash over her after a few moments in her brother's embrace: did Mikaela really drink that much? Not like it was an unpleasant feeling, quite the opposite. Without realizing it, Yuichiro's lips parted and a soft moan escaped them as she became wrapped in a sensation of euphoric bliss and felt she didn't want Mikaela to stop. But with their bodies in such close contact, Mikaela easily picked up the sound and feeling of her heartbeat slowing down against his chest and forced himself to stop drinking lest he ended up killing Yuichiro.

Now that he had his fill of the blood he needed, Mika gently laid his weakened sister down on the bed where he had been lying before she returned and checked her pulse. The blond was relieved to find that other than being a bit anemic from blood-loss, Yuichiro's life was not in any immediate danger; she should be perfectly fine as long as she got enough rest.

"M..Mika?" Yuu called weakly as she raised a hand and tried reaching out to him.

"Yes, I'm here, Yuu-chan. How do you feel?"

"A little drowsy, but I'll be okay. How about you?"

"I'm much better, thank you."

As soon as her feeling of haziness passed, thanks to Asuramaru's power of rapid regeneration to his mistress, Yuichiro's vision finally cleared, and she immediately noticed something different about her brother.

"Mika, your eyes…"

Mika took Yuu's hand and closed his eyes before pressing it to his cheek. "I know. Please don't look at them, Yuu-chan," he said sadly. "They're not human eyes anymore; they're the eyes of a monster."

Yuichiro shook her head. "No, they're not, Mika. Please look at me."

The blond hesitated for a moment but gave in and did as Yuichiro asked. Since they were children, it was always hard for Mika to refuse Yuu anything unless he thought it was bad for her. And he certainly couldn't refuse her something as harmless as seeing his eyes so Mika slowly opened them and gazed into his sister's green orbs.

"Mika, your eyes are…"

"I know… They're red. Just like the color of blood…"

Yuichiro shook her head. "I was about to say they were beautiful, Mika."

Now _that_ was unexpected.

"W..why would you think that, Yuu-chan?

"Because they're _your_ eyes, Mika. They may be red now but there are also many beautiful things that are red. Like roses, rubies, and the sky at dawn and dusk…" she answered with touch of humor which finally brought a smile to her gloomy brother's lips. God, how long has it been since he actually smiled? Mika couldn't remember anymore.

"I didn't know you could be so poetic, Yuu-chan", he teased. "You certainly never showed any interest in such things when we were kids."

"Heh, it's hard to be creative when you and your little family were struggling to survive in an underground vampire city, wouldn't you think, Mika?"

The blond laughed, another thing he hadn't done in ages, at least not genuinely and not without being bitter or sarcastic.

"You're right, Yuu-chan. You must have had a good life when you left Sanguinem."

Yuichiro frowned. While it was true Guren had taken her in and raised her after she escaped the vampire city, Yuichiro's life after she was separated from Mikaela wasn't always easy. In fact, it was often far from it considering her mentor's demanding nature and high expectations of her.

"My life was not always fun and games, Mika," she corrected. "What about you? I've been wanting to ask what you've been up to since we parted at the gates of Sanguinem."

"That… is a long story."

"Then give me the short version."

Mika took a deep breath before answering. "After you left Sanguinem, I had expected to die from my injuries. But I accepted it because I believe that as long as _you_ were able to get away, it was still worth giving my life for."

"But you didn't die…"

"Correct. The vampire queen who ruled over Sanguinem came and found me barely clinging to life. She told me the others were dead and could not be saved. But _I_ still had a chance. And so, she gave me a choice: to die as a human or become one of them."

Although he refrained from saying so, Mika knew his vampire mother never really intended to give him a choice and would have turned him no matter what he said. But his sister didn't really need to know that sordid detail.

"She actually gave you a choice? Wow, I never would have expected that."

"Neither did I. But I knew I had to choose fast. If everyone in our family had perished, including you, I would have chosen to die. But since you were able to escape, I felt that if I survived, even as a vampire, I would be able to see you again."

Yuichiro frowned. "You _chose_ to become a vampire, Mika? Because of me?"

"Yes… because my body had been ravaged far beyond a human's ability to recover. I could not survive for long otherwise."

"I see… what did you do after you were…changed?"

"Well, the first few months were the toughest. Even though I was changed and knew it, I still couldn't accept it. The idea of drinking anyone's blood was absolutely abhorrent to me, so I tried to eat and drink like a human but quickly discover that I could not; I threw up anything and everything I ate and drank, even water." ***8***

"Oh my…"

"Yes… after a while, I gave up and had to drink blood regularly to survive. Thankfully, Queen Krul was generous enough to give me hers to sustain me, so I wouldn't be forced to drink from humans. I suppose you can say she felt a sense of responsibility for me as my maker."

"And you've never had blood from anyone else?"

"No… not until now."

"I understand… but what have you been doing after you finally accepted being a vampire, Mika?"

"That's the thing, Yuu-chan. Even now, I still have difficulty accepting it. That aside, I was drafted into the vampire army as soon as I was old and capable enough to fight. And unfortunately, I had to serve under Ferid of all people."

Yuichiro grimaced. "Are you serious?"

"Yes… as a soldier yourself, I'm sure you know you don't exactly get to choose your commander."

"No…you're right," she agreed. "Still, I couldn't imagine having to serve under someone who's responsible for the death of my loved ones and has no remorse for it."

"Oh, I can. And its been a total nightmare for me at times. Ferid has never stopped taunting and toying with me even after he killed Akane and the others. He gave me hope by telling me someone found and took you in after you escaped the vampire city but refused to tell me anything else."

"What? How could Ferid possibly know that? And why would he tell you?"

"I'm not sure, exactly. As for why he told me, it was because Ferid knew it was my worst nightmare to think of you struggling to survive alone in this cold, God-forsaken world. And I would've been no use to him if I died of grief and despair. Or more accurately, I wouldn't have stayed an interesting source of entertainment for him."

"Knowing Ferid, the latter is more likely."

"Yes. I know I had no reason to believe anything that came out of his mouth, but I also know that even Ferid can be truthful whenever it suited him. And though Ferid gave me hope by letting me know you still lived, he withheld the knowledge of where you were and who you were staying with from me. Even so, I refused to be discouraged."

"So, what did you do?"

Mika smiled. And this time, it was a triumphant one. "I did my own investigation."

Yuu raised a brow. "Really? How?"

"Being the adopted son of the vampire queen is not without its advantages, Yuu-chan. I had access to information other vampire soldiers did not. I also had my own desktop computer in my quarters at Krul's palace where I was able to conduct my search for you in secret."

"What exactly did you do?" Yuichiro asked curiously.

"I accessed your records about two years ago, right about the time you joined the Shibuya Guard."

"What? That's impossible! How could you do that when there's no internet anymore? And even if there was, that information is classified."

"You're wrong about one thing, Yuu-chan. We _do_ still have internet, but it's much more limited than it was before the apocalypse and few people know of it. Anyway, the internet still had enough range for me to hack into the Demon Army's database and find your information." ***9***

"Wow, that's amazing! I had no idea you knew how to hack into a system!"

"Well, it was a skill I learned from watching my father when he was still alive. Hacking is technically illegal and was often used in criminal activities before the fall. But in my case, it was helpful because it confirmed what Ferid said about your survival."

"And when you were certain I was alive…"

"I've searched for you ever since" Mika finished and smiled again as he gently stroked Yuu's cheek and placed a strand of her hair behind her ear. That was Yuu noticed that Mika had also removed his gloves while she was gone and that his hands were surprisingly warm for a vampire. Not that she had any basis for comparison but the ravenette had always assumed that a vampire's touch would be as cold as ice.

"Mika…I don't know what to say…" Yuichiro began. She knew she should have been overjoyed that her brother had put so much effort into finding her and succeeding on top of that. But instead, Yuu found herself feeling guilty that she had been obsessing over saving Guren up until the minute Mika took her away from Shinya and the rest of the MDC. She also felt terrible that she had spent nearly four years thinking Mika was dead and obsessed over exterminating all the vampires while Mika himself knew that she was alive and had been searching for her all this time.

"Say you'll come with me, Yuu-chan."

"To where?"

"Someplace far away from this war where we can live our lives in peace."

Yuichiro frowned. Mikaela's offer did sound tempting, but she couldn't just shirk her duties to her guardian or her friends. Or, at least not any more than she did when she chose to "elope" with Mika, just recently.

"Mika… I wish I can do that, I really do. But I cannot just abandon my mentor and allies. I have a duty to protect humanity. It was the oath I took when I was accepted into the Japanese Imperial Demon Army and Moon Demon Company."

Frustrated, Mika grabbed his sister by the shoulders while taking care not to be too rough with her.

"Yuu-chan, you owe them nothing! Don't you realize what your mentor has been doing to you all this time? And not just him, but also the people who've had you in their custody before we were taken underground as well! They've been experimenting on you for their own purposes; how can you pledge your loyalty to people like that!?"

Out of instinct, Yuichiro placed a palm on Mikaela's chest and pushed him away.

"It's not that simple, Mika! I know that Guren had his own reasons for taking me in, but that doesn't change the fact that I wouldn't even be alive now if it wasn't for him. And not just that, my friends in both Shinoa and Satoshi's squads have been there for me as well, always watching my back."

"Yes, and from what I've seen, they're all capable fighters who won't die easily just because you're not there fighting this pointless war with them."

Yuichiro glared at her brother for his rather insensitive words. "I am sorry, Mikaela. I love you very much, but like I've said before, I cannot just forsake my duties and loyalty to my squad mates in the MDC, if not the Demon Army. Shinoa, Satoshi, and the others are not just my fellow soldiers, they are also my friends, my family just as much as you are! And if it weren't for them, we wouldn't even be here having this conversation!"

Mikaela groaned and placed a hand on his head as if trying to sooth a pounding headache. As hard as he thought about it, he couldn't find a hole in his sister's argument and had to agree that he would have never been able to simply take Yuichiro from the battlefield if her comrades in both the Shinoa and Satoshi's squads had chosen to fight against him rather than cover their escape.

"Alright, Yuu-chan. What do you want to do?"

"I want you to come with me to meet up with the others at Nagoya Airport like Satoshi suggested. I need to know if my friends will be alright before I can do anything else."

Mika was silent for a moment as he looked into Yuu's eyes. Her request was not unreasonable and he supposed that he _did_ owe Shinoa and Satoshi for risking their lives to hold off the rest of the MDC long enough for him to escape with Yuichiro. Even if there's no guarantee they may be able to do so a second time if worse came to worse.

"Very well. I'll help them. But _only_ those two squads and no one else. Understand, Yuu-chan!"

Yuichiro could not help squealing with delight at making her stubborn brother see things her way for the third time today and suddenly threw her arms around him, holding him tight.

"Thank you so much, Mika! You don't know how much this means to me!"

"Actually, Yuu-chan, I do. And by the way…"

"Yes?"

"Can you not press those things against me so hard? It's kind of…awkward."

At first, Yuichiro was confused and didn't know what her brother meant until she noticed that she was holding Mikaela so tightly that her half-exposed breasts were crushed against his chest.

Which was also completely bare.

Blushing furiously, the ravenette finally released Mika and put some distance between him and herself on the bed. By God, this was even more embarrassing than the time she saw Guren shirtless after he jumped into a lake to save her from drowning and the time Shinya caught her staring at his chest when he was teaching her how to swim.

"S…sorry, Mika! Anyway, I'll leave you to get dressed while I use the restroom, okay?" Yuichiro said before she stood up and prepared to leave.

"Sure thing, Yuu-chan. And before we go to the airport, please make sure you close your uniform jacket; we wouldn't want people to have the wrong idea about us."

If Yuichiro's face grew any hotter, she could have cooked an egg on it.

 **Footnotes**

 **1\. Depending on the hospital layout, patient rooms are usually on the second floor and above while emergency rooms are on the lowest floor for easier access in the case a patient has a life-threatening emergency.**

 **2\. Demons normally do not do favors for their contractors without expecting something in return but Asuramaru makes exceptions for Yuichiro because he likes her.**

 **3\. As a child, fem!Yuu has never been taken to a hospital or normal clinic because her parents wanted to keep her true gender a secret, namely the fact that she was female.**

 **4\. Yuichiro knows that stored blood cannot last for several years without refrigeration but she searches for some anyway so she can tell Mikaela that she did everything she could before he would accept her blood.**

 **5\. Demons can see anything their human contractors see through their eyes so I've assumed they can also smell and sense other things through them as well.**

 **6\. Vampire corpses turn to ash after they die so I've assumed this would also include their blood if their clothes were stained.**

 **7\. The Demon Army study vampire physiology extensively based on their observation of the ones they capture alive but they do not know that a vampire can live off the blood of their sire/dame for a time before they must drink from humans.**

 **8\. Since vampires can only ingest blood, its logical to assume they'd throw up anything else they tried to eat and drink.**

 **9\. After the apocalypse, all phone lines have been destroyed by the vampires to cut Japan off from the outside world. In my AU, some phone lines still remain to allow the local use of phones and internet within the country.**


	28. The Rebellious Son

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate version of the Nagoya Arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta reader, ResidentialPsycho, for her help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!**

 **Chapter 28: The Rebellious Son**

 **November 20, 2020**

 **Shinjuku Demon Army Headquarters**

"Sir, preparations have been completed for the relocation of angels six and seven!" Colonel Aoi Sangu reported as she saluted the lieutenant general of the Japanese Imperial Demon Army from behind. ***1***

Without turning around, Kureto Hiragi, nodded in acknowledgement to his subordinate's report as he continued to gaze down at the bustling activity on the ground below from his spot atop the main building of the Shinjuku Demon Army Headquarters branch.

"Good," he said, his voice betraying no emotion. "The sooner we get this going, the better."

"Of course, sir. Speaking of which…"

Curious, Kureto was about to ask Aoi what else was on her mind when they were rudely interrupted by the last person both of them wanted to see or hear from.

"Hey, Kureto…" a gruff male voice cut in.

"What do you want, _brother?"_ Kureto sneered as he turned around and gave his younger half-brother, whom he had not seen since Yuichiro's interrogation, a contemptuous look. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

Seishiro Hiragi shot him a dirty look. He knew the only time Kureto ever called or acknowledge him as a brother was to mock him and it was no secret among the Demon Army soldiers that they truly despised each other.

"I'm not exactly here because I want to pay you a social call, Kureto," Seishiro growled. "I can think of a lot of other things I'd rather do with my time but since the vampires _are_ launching an attack soon, father has ordered me to make sure you don't screw up; he won't tolerate failure."

Like his subordinate, Guren Ichinose, laughing was not something that came easily to Kureto Hiragi but as soon as he heard his younger brother's not-so-subtle threat, he broke out into a guffaw.

"Did you just say father won't _tolerate_ failure, Seishiro? Hahaha! Now that's rich!"

Thinking that his elder brother wasn't taking him seriously, Seishiro shot him a hateful glare.

"What's so funny?" he demanded. "I'd like to know what you find so amusing about this situation, _brother!"_

"Oh, I'm sorry, Seishiro. I laughed because I thought you were trying to make a joke!" Kureto answered with a wolfish grin.

"A joke? What the hell are you talking about?"

"You don't get it, brother? Did it go right over your head that if I _do_ fail, all of humanity is doomed? Should that happen, do you think father's opinion will matter then?"

Furious and humiliated that Kureto had just insulted his intelligence, and right in front of Aoi no less, Seishiro pointed a threatening finger at him.

"How dare you!" he shouted. "You forget your place, Kureto! How about I report your insolent remark to our father right now?!"

Unfazed by the threat, Kureto merely looked at Seishiro in amusement. _"My_ place? Do you think that an incompetent idiot who has never even stood on the front lines has the right to lecture _me_?"

Seishiro's face flushed an ugly red at his elder brother's insult, one they both knew was not far from the truth. Like the rest of the Hiragi siblings with the exception of Shinya, Seishiro had received his high rank in the Demon Army solely because of his birth. But unlike Kureto, Shinya, and even Shinoa, he had almost no ability to command troops in battle. It was also no secret that Seishiro's hatred of Guren stemmed from the fact that a son of the lower Ichinose house was a far more competent commander than he was.

Drawing his sword, the younger Hiragi son leveled it at his brother. "I won't tolerate your insults towards me or our father any longer, _brother_ _,_ _"_ he said menacingly.

In response, Kureto palmed the hilt of his own sword even though he had yet to show any signs of drawing it. But his eyes glittered dangerously, sending shivers down his younger brother's spine. If he had wanted, Kureto could have easily cut Seishiro down before he even had a chance to move.

"Haha… oh please, Seishiro. You're even less competent with the sword than you are commanding troops; you wouldn't stand a chance against me. Do you think father would come running to save you if I decided to kill you where you stand right here and now? After all, we both know your sword and those decorations on your uniform are just for show."

"Why you! I ought to arrest you for treason against our father!" Seishiro angrily shouted and turned to give the order to the two soldiers who had been accompanying him.

But when he turned around, all Seishiro saw were the lifeless corpses of two young soldiers lying on the ground with an emotionless Aoi Sangu standing over them. Judging from the frozen expressions on their faces, Aoi must have killed them even before Seishiro threatened to have Kureto arrested.

"You conniving bastard!" Seishiro growled as he turned back to face his elder brother. "Do you really think you can get away with this?"

Kureto shrugged and brushed off Seishiro's threat. "Of course, I will. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a world to save. You and the rest of the human race can thank me later."

Before Seishiro could ask him what the hell he meant, Aoi, who had witnessed the entire heated exchange between the two Hiragi brothers in silence, finally cut in.

"Lieutenant General, all of the preparations for departure are complete. Your personal flight is also ready. We can move at your earliest convenience."

"Excellent," Kureto replied.

"Personal flight? What, are you planning a vacation, Kureto? The vampires are heading right to Shinjuku now to attack us!" Seishiro exclaimed, shocked by the casual manner in which his elder brother was handing their dire situation.

"You've no need to worry, Seishiro. The vamps will never even set foot in the Kanto region because I'm going to imprison and destroy them in Nagoya," Kureto answered coolly.

"What? Father never mentioned such a thing!"

"That's because he doesn't know."

"What? Are you fucking kidding me!?" Seishiro demanded. "We even sent you troops from Shibuya because you said the vampires were coming to attack Shinjuku, or was that a load of bullshit, too? Are you planning to defy our father?"

"And what if I am?" Kureto challenged. "In case you haven't noticed, _I_ am the one keeping the Demon Army together and doing the work of pushing the vampires back, not our dear old dad."

"Oh, and that makes everything fine and dandy, doesn't it? What the hell are you playing at, brother? Tell me or by God, I'll…"

Before Seishiro could even finish his sentence, Kureto finally drew his sword from its sheath with the speed of a viper and leveled it right at his face, just a fraction of a centimeter from the spot between his eyes. Frightened, Seishiro finally threw his arms up in surrender.

"N..no, wait! Please don't kill me!" he pleaded.

Kureto smirked with satisfaction at seeing his younger brother change his defiant tune. "Its as I've always thought; you are indeed a coward, little brother. Even so, you are obedient to whoever holds power. As long as that remains true, I can still make use of you. I'm feeling a bit generous today, so I won't have you thrown in the brig for running your mouth without thinking. Just stay here like a good little boy until I return with power beyond your comprehension."

Seishiro gritted his teeth but did not dare to make a rebuttal to his elder brother's words. Now that Kureto was finished with him, at least for the time being, he turned back to Aoi.

"What is the subject's condition?" the lieutenant general asked his subordinate.

"Unstable, sir. She seems to be in extreme pain and appears to be getting out of control."

"Then increase the drug dosage and force her back into submission," he ordered.

Although fiercely loyal to her commander, even Aoi was hesitant to relay such an order to the scientists trying to control the test subject in question.

"But sir, if we do that, she could die."

"I understand your concern, Aoi, but if we lose control of the subject, all of humanity will be doomed anyway," Kureto said calmly. Normally, the lieutenant general did not tolerate his subordinates questioning his orders, but Kureto did have somewhat of a soft spot for Aoi Sangu, his most loyal servant and trusted confident.

The blonde woman made a slight bow. "Yes, sir. Forgive my impudence. I will relay your order immediately."

"Good."

"Will that be all, sir?"

"Almost. Do we have a status report from Guren yet?"

Aoi shifted on her feet slightly. "He says 'everything is fine.'"

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

Kureto chuckled as if he was expecting such a simple answer from his raven-haired subordinate.

"That's just like him."

Aoi raised a brow in curiosity. "Sir?"

Kureto shook his head. "Nevermind. I was just talking to myself. Let's go. Time's a-wastin', as the western saying goes."

"Yes, sir."

 **SSSSSS**

"Nii-san, help me!" Mirai Kimizuki screamed as white-hot pain ripped through her body. Had the girl not been securely strapped to the chair she was sitting on, she might have smashed the glass of her holding chamber.

Upon seeing the restraints on Mirai's wrists and ankles starting to loosen slightly due to her wild thrashing, one of the scientists examining her though the glass started to feel nervous. Normally, a small human child would not have been able to do such a thing. But being constantly pumped with high dosages of synthetic drugs to force her hidden powers to the surface also gave Mirai unnatural strength as well.

"Hey, don't you think we should cut it off here?" he asked his colleague, who was getting off the phone with Aoi Sangu.

The other scientist shook his head. "No. Just the opposite: increase the dosage."

His companion stared at him as though he had just lost his mind. "Are you sure? Any more and the subject can die. That is, if she doesn't go mad and attack us first."

"We have no choice; this is a direct order from the lieutenant general himself. If you're afraid of her breaking out of the chamber, I've got a tranquilizer gun right here."

"All right, if you say so. I know its not my place to question the higher ups, but I sure hope Lord Hiragi knows what the hell he's doing."

"Believe me, friend, I feel the same way."

"Stop! It hurts!" Mirai screamed as she struggled against her bonds. In addition to being strapped to a chair, she also had several tubes inserted into her body so that the doctors observing her could continue to drug her behind the safety of the glass separating them.

This time, however, the girl was finally able to break free of her restraints with a strength born of pain and terror, and charge straight towards her tormenters, punching at the glass in an attempt to smash it.

And she would have succeeded too if two pairs of wings had not burst from her back, causing her to finally lose consciousness from the pain and collapse. Before everything went dark, Mirai called for her pink-haired brother, hoping that somewhere, he would be able to hear her.

"Help me, nii-san…"

 **SSSSSS**

"Mika, if you're not feeling well enough, I can drive. I'm not so weak that a little blood loss would stop me," Yuichiro offered from her seat on the passenger side of the sedan she and her foster brother found and hotwired outside the hospital.

The blond vampire rolled his eyes. "Considering how much blood I took from you, I prefer not to take any chances, Yuu-chan. Driving while anemic can be just as dangerous as driving drunk."

Yuichiro scowled. "Do you speak from personal experience, or are you just talking out of your ass, Mika?" she demanded.

Mikaela sighed and tried another approach since they both knew he had been turned long before he was legally old enough to drink and had never been drunk. And they both knew he was wise enough not to drive when he hadn't had enough blood.

"Yuu-chan, even if I allowed you to drive, do you even know where the Nagoya Airport is and how to get there?" he asked.

Yuichiro felt her cheeks growing hot at the embarrassing question. She honestly didn't know where the airport was since she was not familiar with the city and had been depending on Shinoa and Shinya to lead the way. But now that Yuichiro had been separated from her squad leader and commander with no map of the area, she wouldn't even know where to start looking. To make things even more difficult, most of the road signs were also broken or missing so she would have to depend on Mikaela after all. At least, he looked like he knew where he was going.

Thinking it was best to change the subject, Yuichiro said "Never mind, then. Anyway, you looked like you wanted to tell me something else before we left the hospital. What was it?"

Mikaela was silent for a moment as he thought back to what Krul had told him about Yuichiro before he left Sanguinem to find her. How was he to tell his foster sister that she housed a power inside her body that was coveted by the most powerful human organizations as well as vampire progenitors around the world?

"It's actually about you…" he began. "Before the world fell, you, me, and the rest of our brothers and sisters were being experimented on using dangerous combinations of science and sorcery that resulted in the disastrous epidemic that wiped out nearly all the adults eight years ago. But after the apocalypse, the Demon Army was able to get ahold of only you and possibly one other, so they continued the experiment in secret in order to create a weapon that would turn the tide of this war in their favor. But this time, it's even more dangerous than before because if this power is abused, it may end up destroying all life on Earth. Now, do you understand why I can't simply hand you back to your mentor or his superiors?"

"Then, where do you suggest we go, Mika?" Yuichiro challenged. "Do you really believe there's any place on earth we can possibly hide? I don't want to live the rest of my life on the run like a common criminal."

"I can understand that, Yuu-chan. But don't you think that's better than endangering the entire planet? You _did_ say that you took an oath to protect humanity when you joined the Demon Army, didn't you?"

Yuichiro groaned but had to admit that her brother was right. "Fine," she said. "But I still need to make sure my friends are alright first. Maybe we can even recruit their help."

"You're sure we can trust them?"

"You can ask me that after they risked their lives to let us get away?"

"Ok, ok, fine. I'll trust your word, but, if I detect even the slightest hint of deceit in your comrades, I'm taking you away with me no matter what you say. And I can do it, too, Yuu-chan."

Now it was Yuu's turn to roll her eyes. "Of course, you can," she said simply. "I wouldn't stand a chance against you, Mika. Even when we were kids, you always won all our wrestling matches, and I had the bruises to prove it."

"I would not have been so rough with you if I knew you were a girl back then, Yuu-chan," Mika replied, purposely neglecting that he already had nagging suspicions about her true sex when he noticed that her body felt different while they grappled. But he always ignored them because Yuichiro acted like a boy in every sense of the word and insisted on being treated like one. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask you: when _did_ you start dressing and acting like a girl? Was it when your mentor found out the truth? I'm guessing you didn't simply come out and tell him."

Yuichiro turned her head and looked out the side window, hiding her blush as she recalled the time Guren charged into her medical tent after she sustained injuries from fighting the rogue vampire in Shinjuku. Her mentor had been so shocked after believing that Yuu was a boy for an entire year after he took her in that he couldn't even speak to her for a whole week until he was finally able to wrap his head around the fact that she was female.

When he noticed his sister's reluctance to answer his question, Mika decided to press the issue a bit further in order to sate his curiosity.

"Well?"

Knowing that Mika wasn't going to leave her alone until he got an answer, Yuichiro finally gave in and turned to face him once more.

"It was when I was injured trying to fight a rogue vampire by myself in Shinjuku shortly after I turned thirteen," she answered. "I had to be treated which required me to undress because the wound was in my shoulder. Guren was worried about me and thought I was seriously hurt, so he barged into the tent where I was being treated without asking for permission to enter first." ***2***

"And that's when he saw…?"

"Yes. I know that there's no love lost between you and Guren, Mika. And I'm not asking you to trust him, even I don't trust him completely. But he _did_ save my life and raise me after I escaped the vampire city all those years ago, so I owe him that much at least. If Guren had not found me, I probably wouldn't have survived outside of Sanguinem for more than a few days, let alone until now. And believe it or not, he also motivated me to at least try to find another reason to live after I thought I lost you along with Akane and the others. That, and finally accepting my true self."

"I see… Well, it looks like your mentor _did_ do a decent job of teaching you how to fight and survive. I guess I can also appreciate him encouraging you to finally accept being a girl and looking like one," Mika admitted. "But still, I will never like him."

At her brother's tone, Yuu found a small smile tugging at her lips, which didn't escape Mika's notice.

"What are you smiling about?" he demanded suspiciously.

Unable to resist the temptation to tease Mika, Yuu gave him a bit of a mischievous look and said, "Oh, nothing, Mika. For a moment there, you actually sounded like you were a little jealous…"

Now _that_ caught his attention!

"I am _not_ jealous!" the blond insisted, blushing furiously. "I don't like your mentor because I think he's a manipulative bastard who saved you just so he can use you!"

"Is that really the only reason, Mika?"

"I just don't like the idea of anyone using you, Yuu-chan," he answered, side-stepping her question.

"Says the guy who drank my blood," she shot back with a wink.

"You were the one who offered, remember?"

"Yes, I do. I was just teasing you; you really do need to learn how to take a joke, Mika. You're way too serious all the time."

"You would be, too, if you lived among other vampires as I have. They aren't known for being emotionally expressive or for their sense of humor", Mika replied, trying not to think about how Ferid was a counter-example to what he just said.

"Ok, ok, I get it. Anyway, how much longer till we reach the airport?"

"Not long. About ten minutes."

"You're sure? Are you familiar with the area? Because most of the signs are broken and there are no maps in the car."

"As a matter of fact, I am. I've been in this city before, Yuu-chan."

"Wow, lucky for me, then. I'm so glad I ran into you again, Mika."

"Please tell me you're teasing me again, Yuu-chan."

"I am. The reason I decided to keep following Guren even after I found out he hasn't been entirely truthful with me is because I believed that it would eventually lead me to you. But it looks like you were the one who found me first, so it worked out after all."

Satisfied and somewhat relieved, Mikaela finally returned his sister's good-natured smile. They may not be naive children anymore but having a banter like this made it feel like old times again.

And that made almost everything Mika had endured until now worthwhile.

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. The scene with Kureto and Seishiro takes place roughly at the same time Guren and company storm the Nagoya City Hall building to free the hostages and confront Crowley. So does the scene with Mirai. I just couldn't find a proper spot to insert them into the previous chapters until this one.**

 **2\. Refer to "Who She is Within", chapter 14.**


	29. Trust and Betrayal

**Disclaimer: I do not own Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End). I write this for your enjoyment only. This story is an alternate re-telling of the Nagoya Arc with differences from the original; please refer to the footnotes at the end. Once again, I would like to thank my beta readers, ResidentialPsycho and Falchion1984, for their help in making this fic possible. Enjoy and please review!**

 **Chapter 29: Trust and Betrayal**

 **Final** **R** **endezvous** **P** **oint: Nagoya Airport**

"Hurry, everyone! We're almost there!" Shinoa panted as she urged her squad to keep moving so as not to fall behind Shinya and the rest of the MDC. Satoshi, who had exerted a bit more of his energy and strength trying to keep Mikaela away from Yuichiro, as well as fend off the vampire ambush after letting the pair escape, allowed Shinoa to give the orders to both their squads for the moment.

Once he finally caught his breath, the blue-haired squad leader looked around at the ruins of the abandoned airport. Like everyone else in the MDC, he noticed that it was completely deserted with no signs of life or activity within miles. All that could be seen were a few broken airplanes and other non-functioning vehicles that have been out of use for nearly a decade; many simply crashed the day of the apocalypse when their operators perished at the controls after being struck by the virus. Over time, the planes and vehicles have been salvaged for useful parts by humans who had managed to survive on the surface and now they rusted away, waiting forlornly for passengers that would never come. ***1***

Daisuke was the first to voice his concerns.

"Hey, Sato, something doesn't feel right. Did the lieutenant colonel mention any kind of escape plan to you or Miss Hiragi once we reached the airport? I mean, the attacks may have stopped for now, but that doesn't mean the vamps aren't still after us."

"I agree," said Mitsuba as she wiped the sweat off her brow. "The bloodsuckers could be biding their time, waiting for the right moment to attack us."

"I hate to say it, but I have a bad feeling about this…" Takeshi muttered. "Could it be that the higher ups have deserted us?"

"That can't be!" Yoichi protested fiercely. "According to our orders, this is the rendezvous point. Shouldn't the rest of the Demon Army be here to back us up?"

"I'm not sure…" Kimizuki began grimly before turning to Shinoa and Satoshi. "Well?"

Both junior squad leaders looked at each other as if unsure of what to tell their subordinates. Before either of them could say a word, an enraged Rika Inoae approached, drew her weapon, and was about to turn on Shinoa and Satoshi.

"You little brats! This is all your fault! Because you and your squads chose to protect that blond vamp and waste time, we were ambushed, and Yayoi, Kagiyama, and God knows how many others were killed! You should pay for their deaths with your lives, traitors!"

Before Rika could unleash her demon's power on Shinoa and Satoshi, the Harada twins quickly grabbed and held her back by firmly hooking their arms around hers.

"Please stop, Miss Inoae!" Risa pleaded. "Kagiyama-san fell protecting me and Riku when we tried to help Miss Yayoi!"

"Risa's right!" Riku added. "Killing our squad leaders isn't going to bring your friends back and we can't afford to lose any more comrades as it is!"

"Let go of me!" Rika screamed as she struggled against the Harada twins' firm hold, too enraged to listen to reason.

That was, until she heard the calm, but firm voice of her own squad leader.

"Calm down, Rika. The girls are right. What's done is done, and nothing can bring back Yayoi or Kagiyama."

Rika stopped struggling and glared at Narumi. "How can you say that so calmly, Makoto?!" she demanded. "If it weren't for those rookie squad leaders' screw up, both Yayoi and Kagiyama would be alive!"

"I'm not denying that," Narumi replied while trying to keep his own emotions in check. "And I'm not telling you to forgive them. Since I am their superior, I will take care of them."

At Narumi's dubious statement, both Shinoa and Satoshi tensed up as if they expected the elder squad leader to cut them down in his subordinate's place. That was, until they heard the stern voice of their commander cut in.

"No, Narumi. It's not your place discipline them either," he said quietly.

Turning, Narumi saw Shinya approach with the rest of Guren's squad. Like everyone else, the major general looked tired and felt as though the events of the last twenty-four hours had aged him for a lifetime.

"So, what are you saying, sir? Will _you_ discipline Miss Hiragi and Mr. Hiwatari for shielding a vampire and letting him make off with Yuichiro, one of our most skilled and valuable sword-fighters next to Guren himself?" Narumi demanded.

Shinya shook his head. "At the moment, we have far more important things to worry about. Disciplining them will have to come later. If we survive."

Narumi glared at him. "What do you mean _if_ we survive!? Is there something you're not telling us, _Major General?_ We came all the way to this godforsaken place on the orders of _your_ father and elder brother! Even after we lost Guren, we still pushed on because we thought what we did had a purpose! But there's nothing and no one here that I can see! So, what was the point of us coming here? After everything we've been through and all the allies we have lost to get this far, you owe us an answer at least!"

"I agree," Shusaku added as he walked up to Narumi and placed a hand on his shoulder. "No matter where I look, I can't see anyone waiting for us nor any sign of a trap for the vamps either. And they are not far behind us. Be honest with us, Major General, was this decoy mission meant to be suicide from the start? Were we expected to sacrifice ourselves for some higher purpose? If so, we deserve to know what it is."

Shinya gave both of his subordinates a blank stare as if he wasn't sure what to tell them before Goshi spoke up.

"Umm, Shinya. They've got a point. According to what I've heard from Guren, there was supposed to be a transport chopper here we could use to escape. But I don't see anything or anyone here for miles. _Is_ there something you're not telling us?"

"No, you are right, Goshi," Shinya confirmed quietly. "The plan was for us to depart from here to Shinjuku where we're supposed to lure the vamps into a trap and destroy them."

"And whose plan was that?" Mito demanded sharply.

"The whole mission was devised by Lieutenant General Kureto Hiragi."

"But since there's nothing here, that means he's abandoned us, hasn't he?" Goshi pressed. "Even you, Shinya, his own adopted brother, is no exception."

"I can't say I'm surprised," Shigure said quietly. "After all, the lieutenant general _is_ a Hiragi. It means nothing to him to throw the lives of his allies away if he deems it 'for the greater good.'"

"You took the words right out of my mouth" Sayuri agreed. "Come, Shigure. Since this mission was not Guren's plan, there's no reason for us to stay here any longer."

"Right."

Turning, the two women were about to leave when Mito called out, stopping them in their tracks.

"Wait! Sayuri! Shigure! You can't just leave! Even if you do, there's no way you're going to be able to rescue Guren alone! Think logically!"

After watching the heated exchange between Guren's retainers in silence, Narumi turned to Shinya again.

"Well, Major General?" he pressed. "Please explain exactly what's going on here. Even if this mission _was_ meant to be suicide from the start, I'm ok with it as long as there's a meaning to our deaths and _only_ if Lieutenant Colonel Guren Ichinose gave the order. Though we have accepted you as our new commander in his place, the loyalty of the Moon Demon Company is to him and him alone. We will _not_ sacrifice ourselves for the ambitions of the Hiragi family who see us merely as disposable pawns."

"That's enough, Narumi," Shinya warned as he gave the younger man a look that told him not to try his patience. Even though he knew that Narumi _did_ have a point. "In case you've forgotten, weren't _you_ the one reprimanding Shinoa and Satoshi for disobeying orders earlier?"

"No, I haven't forgotten, sir. But like I said before, the loyalty of the MDC, including myself, is to Guren. Not to you or your family who casually ordered us to march to our deaths for nothing," the younger man answered boldly with a smirk.

Mitsuba gasped at Narumi's audacity to talk back to their commander in such a manner. "Is this what I think it is?" she whispered to Shinoa.

"I hope not. The last thing we need now is a full-blown mutiny," her squad leader answered quietly.

Everyone held their breaths as though fearful of Shinya's reaction to Narumi's defiant attitude. But to their surprise, their commander did not get angry or explode on the younger man. Instead, Shinya sighed and looked to the sky.

 _What would you do, Guren?_ He thought. _What did you entrust me with when you left them to me? Should I prioritize the mission or their lives first? If this mission is indeed suicide and meaningless, should I have them abandon it?_

After pondering the thought for a moment, the Major General was snapped out of his thoughts by an impatient Narumi.

"Answer us, sir! What the hell was the point of this mission and what are…"

Before the younger man could utter another word, Shinya spun around and made a gesture with an outstretched arm accompanied by a glare to silence him.

"Ok, ok, I get it! Do you mind keeping your mouth shut long enough for me to actually _answer_ your question, Narumi!?" Shinya snapped irritably, making sure he was loud enough to be heard by the entire MDC.

Embarrassed, Narumi finally did shut his mouth to hear his superior officer's answer before Shinya continued.

"Our orders were to hold position here, but we will abandon the mission and devise a strategy to rescue Guren Ichinose instead. _If_ he's alive!"

Despite Shinya's warning of the possibility that their commander might already be dead, everyone's faces lit up, both in relief and joy, that they would not have to go through with this suicide mission after all.

That, as well as saving the man they had truly pledged their true loyalty to.

 **SSSSSS**

 **Nagoya City Hall,** **C** **ity** **I** **ntersection**

Crowley hummed a tune under his breath as he carelessly glanced at two human corpses on the ground the way humans would look at dead insects. One corpse was of a rather plain-looking short woman with bobbed red hair and glasses while the other was of a large burly man wearing a bandana around his head. Neither particularly stood out to the vampire lord as someone who was used to seeing corpses on battlefields no matter what the era.

"Hmm… it looks like they got away," Crowley said casually. "Now where could they have gone?"

One of the nobles who accompanied Crowley did not share his cool-headedness in referring to the rag-tag group of insolent humans who had managed to take down nearly half a dozen nobles.

"Those damn humans! It looks like they've fled north; we'll hunt them down and exterminate them all like the rats they are!"

Crowley said nothing but turned to look Guren, who was sitting on his knees nearby while tightly bound and surrounded by three vampire guards.

 _Five nobles dead and all of them had their_ _whereabouts known by the humans._ _That's actually pretty impressive to be honest…_ the maroon-haired vampire lord admitted to himself.

Guren, who returned Crowley's stare, seemed to have read his mind. Kureto's plan to ambush the nobles to distract them from the rest of the Demon Army was more effective than expected, even given the number of MDC casualties.

As he watched, a certain petite, pink-haired vampire queen stepped out of a chopper while accompanied by Ferid of all people. His mind wandered back to Yuichiro and the last time he saw her.

 _Shut up! You were always such a fucking hypocrite! How_ _dare_ _you tell me to run, to live, while giving up on yourself so easily!? You've got no right!_

As Yuichiro's words echoed in his head, Guren found himself smiling even though he knew this was no situation to be doing such.

"Stupid loud-mouthed brat…" he muttered to no one in particular. "You always did enjoy trying to make me look the fool, did you, Yuichiro?"

Although he had not intended for his words to be heard, the lesser noble, the one who'd had been ranting about hunting down and killing the rest of the MDC earlier, picked them up with his sharp vampiric hearing. Turning towards Guren, he glared at the human he deemed worth no more than an insignificant insect.

"What are you mumbling about, human? You got something to say?"

Instead of answering, Guren shot the noble a dirty look. While he knew vampires were not easily riled, the lieutenant colonel also knew he had a natural tendency to tick off both humans and vampires alike with little effort.

When he realized that he wasn't going to get an answer from the raven-haired human who showed no fear in the face of death, the noble grabbed his throat in a painful, crushing grip.

"Don't feel like talking, human?" he taunted. "Let's see how long you can hold onto your pride. Especially when you dared to lay your filthy hands on the nobility."

"Fuck… off…" Guren snarled, forcing the words past his lips before the vampire could cut off his airways and render him unable to speak.

Enraged that a mere human would dare to talk to him that way instead of begging for his life, the noble kicked him several yards away for good measure.

"How dare you, you lowly human rat!" he roared. "You got a death wish!?"

Guren gritted his teeth against the pain in his ribs to keep from crying out, determined not to give his enemy the satisfaction of seeing just how miserable and vulnerable he was. Surprisingly, the beating itself did not bother Guren as much as being separated from Yuichiro, whose safety and well-being he constantly worried about.

 _Shit…that hurt. When did getting beat up become so exhausting? I must be getting soft. Still, I should probably let him hit me a bit more to make what I tell him seem more convincing…_ he thought.

Crowley, who had been watching the lesser noble vent his anger out on the helpless Guren in amusement up until now, finally had to intervene to prevent his hot-headed subordinate from actually killing him. After all, Ferid's orders had been quite explicit that Guren was to be kept alive. At least, for now.

And, when one disobeyed Ferid's orders, even unwittingly, the consequences were…not pleasant.

"That's enough, friend," he said coolly. "The human's not going to be able to talk if you knock him into a coma."

Before the other noble could reply, they both heard Ferid's annoying sing-song voice cut in.

"Why, hello there, Lord Crowley! Long time no see!"

Turning, Crowley smiled at the silver-haired vampire lord. "It hasn't been that long, Ferid."

"Oh? Is that all you have to say to me after I've provided you with such entertainment?"

"Ah…I see. So, it _was_ you leaking intel to the humans, right, my lord?" Crowley asked sweetly.

"Oh, and what makes you think that? You know I hate those who betray their allies more than anything," Ferid answered innocently, even though he knew the other vampire lord wasn't buying it.

"Really? Then why, pray tell, did you sell out my location to the humans who knew exactly where to find me? Care to explain? And I thought I was part of your faction."

Instead of denying it, Ferid merely gave his usual innocent smile and shrugged his shoulders.

"But you had fun, didn't you? Weren't _you_ always the one complaining about how boring life as a vampire can be?"

At Ferid's counter-question, Crowley found his thoughts wandering back to his duel with Yuichiro, which he _did_ find enjoyable, despite her meddling squad mates preventing him from taking her as his prize.

"I suppose you're right. While the other humans were dull, I haven't had an opponent as intriguing as Miss Hyakuya in a while. The girl was one-of-a-kind, even if she did get away."

"Oh, she challenged you to a duel? I'm surprised you actually obliged her. But since you _did_ enjoy yourself, how about giving me some thanks instead? Tangentially, a member of my own faction—you—being attacked also makes it less likely I'll be suspected, right?"

"So, it _was_ you behind it all, wasn't it?"

"Ahh, but you are only half-correct, Crowley. This particular plot has someone even more twisted than me pulling the strings."

"Oh? Who?"

Instead of answering, Ferid nodded his head in Guren's direction, the gesture startling Crowley. And for the first time in ages, he was actually astonished.

"Are you serious? Or is this another one of your jokes, Ferid?"

"Not this time," Ferid answered as he and Crowley watched the noble who had been interrogating Guren go at it again.

"But how can that be? You mind explaining how that human can be behind all this?" Crowley demanded.

"Oh, but he's no ordinary human; he's a namanari."

"And what's that?"

"A human's who's just one step shy of becoming a full-blown demon. And that particular one is actually two beings in one body, which share their time as one or the other."

"I think you've lost me."

"Well, to make it simple, a part of that human is an idealist who wants nothing more than to protect his friends and followers. The other, possessed by the vengeful spirit of his dead lover, is the perfectionist who reduced herself to a demon to get what she desires. Now watch as the _real_ monster comes out," Ferid said coolly.

Still not understanding this namanari business, and still baffled that a human could infiltrate the vampires' security and leak information leading to the deaths of five nobles, Crowley looked again in the direction of Guren and the lessor noble who seemed to be losing patience with him.

"Talk, you lowly human mongrel! Where did the other humans go?" he demanded as he kicked Guren in the side. "Or I'll kill you right here and now!"

 _Looks like now's a good time as any. If I can convince them to head up to Shinjuku, the mission will succeed…_ he thought.

"They went to Shinjuku…" he said through gritted teeth as though the simple act of speaking alone caused him pain. Which it likely did from what Ferid and Crowley could see.

"I can't hear you; try speaking up, human," the arrogant noble demanded as he grabbed a fistful of Guren's hair and jerked his head back.

Finally fed up with his tormentor's abuse, Guren stared him straight in the eye and snarled.

"Get your disgusting hands off me, or I will tear them off your body along with your arms, you freak!" he threatened.

The noble's face scrunched up with rage. How dare a human talk to him like that! He moved to rip Guren's hair from his scalp when the sheathed sword at the man's belt released an eerie red glow. It unsheathed itself and lunged at him.

He had barely released Guren's hair when both of his arms were severed and dropped to the ground. For a stretching second, the lesser noble's customary arrogance was replaced with horrified disbelief as he glanced, dumbstruck, at his dismembered limbs and then to the stumps which leaked black blood onto his boots.

Before the noble could cry out for help, the blade cut through his slender neck, tearing through skin, muscle, and bone as easily as a hot knife through butter. His severed head bounced when it hit the ground, a look of terror still frozen on his face.

Once his head was severed, the noble's body toppled lifelessly to the ground with the katana's curse slowly eating away at his immortal flesh as well as smoldering his elegant garments, turning him into naught by a pile of ash and clothing

The sudden and gruesome murder did not escape the notice of the other vampires, including their queen. Krul Tepes turned and gazed at Guren. He glared back at her with inhuman eyes glinting with madness.

Unimpressed, the pink-haired vampire queen smirked at him. "Oh? What's with that triumphant look? Do you really think that display of power is enough to frighten me?"

In response, Guren finally stood up, the irises of his own eyes glowing with an eerie red light. With almost no effort, the human man easily broke free of his restraints before the faint apparition of a young, purple-haired woman appeared besides him.

"Give me my sword, demon," Guren growled while refraining from speaking the creature's name as if it were poison.

Leveling his glowing katana at the pink-haired vampire queen in a bold gesture of defiance, Guren, or the creature currently controlling his body, said, "At Nagoya Airport, I will summon the Seraph of the End. And you're going to help me."

Instead of being offended at what most vampires, let alone a progenitor, would consider an insolent demand, Krul merely smiled as if in calm understanding.

"Ah, I see. You are a messenger from Mahiru Hiragi, correct?"

As if in answer, Guren swiftly brought the blade of his katana to Krul's neck, near her carotid artery.

Instead of being intimidated, she casually tapped the bold human with her hand and sent him flying several yards away.

He spun through the air before bouncing painfully against the cement road and eventually rolling to a stop. The vampire queen then calmly walked over to him and repeated her earlier question.

"I'll ask you one more time: are Mahiru's messenger? Or her puppet vessel? It makes no difference to me as long as I get my answer."

Tilting his head to the side, Guren took a moment to spit out the blood built-up in his mouth before answering.

"Mahiru is dead; I couldn't save her," he said simply before laughing bitterly.

"If that is so, then who exactly are you?" Krul pressed. "Before the apocalypse began, I made a deal with Mahiru Hiragi. But if you are not her, then we have nothing more to discuss. I should slice your head off right here and now for daring to raise your sword against me."

Unfazed by the threat, Guren grinned at the pink-haired vampire queen, knowing very well that he was playing with fire.

"Then why don't you kill me instead of just standing there and talking about it?" he dared. "Oh, I know why: you can't. You've betrayed your kind too far to turn back now, and we both know it. You need to summon the Seraph of the End just as much as I do. Don't try to deny it."

The vampire queen's ruby eyes glittered dangerously. Had she not known that Guren was right, Krul would have made good on her threat and beheaded him right then and there.

Giving him one last look of disgust, Krul said, "You aren't worth the effort" just loud enough for Guren to hear, before turning back to face her other vampire subjects. "The human commander just confessed that the ones who killed our noble brethren are gathered at the Nagoya Airport. We will go there and annihilate them all!"

In response to their queen's declaration, all vampires present, noble and common alike, cheered.

"You heard our lovely queen, Lord Crowley. We should be on our way," Ferid said in a happy sing-song tune, causing the other vampire lord to roll his eyes.

"Mind telling me exactly what to expect, my lord?"

"Haha… now, now, be patient. Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise."

"Am I going to like this particular one?" Crowley pressed with a roll of his eyes.

"You'll see."

Something made Crowley wish he hadn't asked.

 **SSSSSS**

 **Nagoya Airport**

For the umpteenth time in his life, Major General Shinya Hiragi chose to go against the direct orders of the family who took him, an outsider, into their ranks, and abandon the mission his elder brother had set out for the Moon Demon Company. Instead, he will lead the survivors back into the city to find and rescue the man they consider to be their true leader, Guren Ichinose. If he was alive.

Just as the survivors of the MDC were about to leave the airport together, they suddenly heard the sounds of approaching aircrafts and looked up at the sky. Alarmed, both Takeshi and Yoichi readied their bows while Daisuke reached for his whip in case it was another aerial attack by the vampires like before.

"Shit, have the vamps found us!?" Kimizuki exclaimed.

Looking into the sky, Shinya narrowed his eyes and as the nearest aircraft came closer, his sharp sniper's vision made out the insignia of the Demon Army and made a gesture for Yoichi and Takeshi to hold their fire.

"Wait, don't shoot! It's not the enemy!" he ordered.

Both of the younger snipers obeyed and lowered their weapons, though they did not put them away.

"What's going on?" Daisuke asked in confusion as he turned to Yoichi. "Could the rest of the Demon Army have come for us after all?" His sniping partner merely shrugged as if he didn't know how to answer the inquiry.

"Good question," Risa added. "If those _are_ the reinforcements, then that means we're saved, right?"

"I don't know, Risa. I've got a bad feeling about this," Riku muttered, making sure to keep her voice low enough that only her twin would hear.

"Hey, Sato? Shinoa? What do you think?" Takeshi pressed.

Both of the junior squad leaders turned to look at each other. Although they believed Shinya's claim that the aircrafts belonged to the Demon Army and not their vampire pursuers, neither Shinoa nor Satoshi suggested a trusting approach. Instead, they decided it best to wait until the first aircraft landed as well as for Shinya's decision.

"We'll wait, but keep your weapons out just in case," Satoshi ordered. "Agreed, Shinoa?"

"Yes, you took the words right out of my mouth, Mr. Hiwatari," she answered.

Nobody in the junior squads argued, indicating that they shared Shinoa and Satoshi's intuition. Mitsuba only lowered her demon battle axe slightly when she saw the first aircraft land. As soon as the hatched opened, a tall and slender blonde woman, who she recognized as her older sister, stepped down.

"Aoi…" she murmured.

Although Mitsuba had not expected to be noticed, Aoi Sangu briefly turned in her direction and gave her younger sister a cold look of indifference before standing aside to reveal the man responsible for setting up the very mission the entire MDC was about to abandon.

"Oh, my god!" Yoichi gasped. "Is that who I think it is?"

"No shit!" Kimizuki exclaimed as he clenched his fists. "It's him, the bastard who tortured us! I could never forget a face like his!"

Narumi glared at Kimizuki and Yoichi for their words. "Hey, keep your voices down or he'll hear you!"

Normally, Shinya would have reprimanded the boys but he himself as well as the rest of Guren's squad were dumbstruck at seeing Kureto Hiragi make an appearance here of all places.

Puzzled, Rika tapped her squad leader on the shoulder and asked, "Hey, Makoto, who is that guy?"

Before Narumi could answer, the man in question saved him the trouble and introduced himself to the entire Moon Demon Company, many of whom had never even seen his face before.

"Everyone! I am Lieutenant General Kureto Hiragi, second-in-command of the Japanese Imperial Demon Army! I would like to congratulate and thank you all on successfully completing your mission and emerging victorious against the vampires!" he announced in a voice loud enough to be heard by everyone present, the voice of a man who was used to commanding an entire army.

The lower ranking soldiers gasped at Kureto's announcement for none of them ever thought they would see such an esteemed member of the Hiragi family in person. To them, someone like that was as far out of their reach as the moon.

Narumi turned to his commander to ask him what was going on when he noticed that Shinya as well as the rest of Guren's squad looked just as shocked to see Kureto Hiragi as everyone else. It was as if the major general himself had no idea that his elder brother would even bother to make a personal appearance before the ragtag survivors of the MDC. Such a thing would normally be beneath him.

While everyone stared at the lieutenant general in stunned silence, he continued his announcement.

"Your work here is finished; I will take care of the rest so you may all disarm yourselves and take a break."

As they watched the other lower-ranking soldiers move to obey Kureto, Shinoa and Satoshi made a gesture to their squad members to stay on guard.

"Don't let your guard down yet," Shinoa warned quietly. "I don't trust my brother; he isn't normally this generous."

"I feel the same way," Satoshi agreed. "Though I don't know him personally, the lieutenant general gives me bad vibes. He doesn't come off as trustworthy to me either."

Both junior squad leaders looked to their commander and while Shinya said nothing, they could tell that he was of the same mind as themselves since he also refused to lower his weapon.

"'Emerging victorious?' What are you talking about, Kureto?" he asked. "The vampires are approaching the airport as we speak; they'll be here any minute now. What are you planning to do?"

Instead of answering his question, Kureto gave Shinya a sly smile.

"By the way, Shinya, where is Guren?"

Shinya was startled by the sudden question but answered it all the same. "Guren was captured by the vampires," he said simply. "As of yet, we are not certain if he still lives."

Instead of being concerned, Kureto merely chuckled under his breath even though Guren's situation was no laughing matter.

"What? Guren captured? You're joking, right? He wouldn't be so stupid as to let himself get captured that easily. So, who's in command then? Is he planning on opposing me too?"

"And what's that supposed to mean, _nii-san_?" Shinya demanded impatiently, frustrated that his elder brother was being evasive.

"What, you still don't know, Shinya? I find that strange since you _are_ supposed to be Guren's best friend. To make it simple, his soft side wants to protect his friend and allies while his 'other' side is willing to make whatever sacrifices it takes to get the results he seeks."

Shinya glared at Kureto. "And what the hell's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Quiet," the older man snapped. "It's not your turn yet."

Before Shinya could tell him to stop talking in riddles, the lieutenant general turned to his most trusted confident.

"Do it, Aoi. The sacrifices are ready."

Feeling a sense of dread that his elder brother was planning something dangerous, Shinya was about to raise his demon rifle and point the muzzle at him. But Kureto was faster and made an upward swipe with his katana, knocking Shinya's rifle out of the way, even though he had been strong enough to maintain a tight grip on it when fighting against Mikaela.

Before Shinya could say a word, Kureto leveled his gold-tone katana at him, much to the shock of the rest of the MDC- except for Shinoa who expected just as much from her eldest brother.

"Not good," she said in a low voice that only Satoshi could hear. "Something bad is going to happen, I just know it."

"I'm afraid I have to agree," the Satoshi replied. "No offense, Shinoa, but the more I know about your family, the worse they appear."

"None taken, Satoshi. I know all too well how my father and eldest brothers are. In fact, Shinya is the only one I trust in our family."

While the junior squad leaders were wise enough to keep their opinions to themselves, Narumi wasn't as cautious. Like Shinya, he had just about lost patience with Kureto and his evasiveness, not that Shinoa or Satoshi could blame him. After all, Narumi had just lost two members of his own squad.

"What do you mean, _sacrifices_?" Narumi demanded. "What the hell is going on here? I believe you owe us an explanation after everything we've been through!"

Kureto turned his head in Narumi's direction. "Didn't you hear what I just said? I gave you permission to be at ease; that's all you need to know."

Narumi glared at him. Although he knew the Hiragis were infamous for being callous, he thought the lieutenant general went too far. How could Kureto not offer the MDC an explanation or even his condolences for the great number of casualties they'd suffered?

"That's all you have to say? Do you know how many among our ranks have lost their lives? How can you just brush us off like that?"

Startled, both Shusaku and Rika grabbed their squad leader by each of his arms and tried to calm him down. Although they felt the same way as Narumi regarding Kureto's refusal to answer the question that was on everyone's minds, both Shusaku and Rika knew it was unwise for Narumi to raise his voice to the lieutenant general or make any demands of him.

"Hey, calm down, Narumi!" Shusaku urged. "You don't want to get in trouble for defying a superior officer, do you?"

"He's right!" Rika agreed, trying to keep her voice low but just loud enough for her squad leader to hear. "I know you want answers, but they're not worth your life!"

Unfortunately, now that Narumi had caught Kureto's attention, he wasn't going to let the younger man's insolent behavior slide.

"You sure are fired up, soldier. Might I know your name?" he asked.

Narumi was about to answer when he heard Shinya cut in.

"Quiet! Let me do the talking!"

Kureto gave his younger brother a look of amusement, knowing very well that Shinya was trying to protect the brazen and outspoken brunette sergeant who dared to question his orders.

"Do you feel the need to cover for him, Shinya? It's not like I can't find out who he is sooner or later anyway."

" _Nii-san_ , who he is isn't important. What _is_ important is that if we have been successful as you said, then it would not hurt for you simply let them go."

"Oh, are you saying that I should overlook your subordinate's rebellious attitude? Well, not like it matters. Besides, he'll die sooner or later anyway."

Before Shinya could ask his elder brother what he meant, Kureto snapped his fingers and as if on cue, a truck carrying a huge wooden shipping crate covered with defensive spell tags approached.

"What the hell..?" Shinya gaped at the ominous sight. Following his instinct as a soldier, he quickly rearmed himself with his rifle.

Kureto smirked as if he expected such a reaction from his adopted brother.

"What's with that look, Shinya? You _did_ say you wanted to know what I had in mind, didn't you? So how about I just show you instead of simply talking about it?"

Shinya had no time to tell the rest of the MDC to raise their guards before the doors on the huge crate suddenly opened. Countless spears linked with chains that glowed with an eerie light as if they were alive, abruptly shot out in every direction.

In fact, he barely had time to protect himself and narrowly avoided being skewered. Shinya had thought that by this point, nothing his elder brother did could surprise him, but it looked like Kureto had managed to shock him again after all.

"Sir!" Narumi cried as he quickly ran to his commander and used the power of his trident to raise a shield in an attempt to protect Shinya as well as his subordinates behind him.

Unfortunately, to his horror, the rods easily shattered Narumi's turtle shell-like shield and proceeded to skewer the lower-ranking soldiers who had obeyed Kureto's orders to disarm themselves. Even those who chose to stay on guard, such as the members of Guren, Shinoa, and Satoshi's squads, had difficulty defending themselves.

Thinking quickly, Risa whipped out her war fans, deftly generating airwaves to repel dozens of the spears away from herself Riku. Unfortunately, she could only repel dozens of the spears when hundreds had been released. Before long, one pierced her right shoulder. A scream split her mouth, and her grip on the fan in her right hand faltered. ***2***

"Risa!" Satoshi cried as he batted several rods away from himself by using Krad's power to enhance his speed and reaction time. Knowing that Risa may be left almost completely wide open now that one of her arms was nearly incapacitated, the blue-haired squad leader was about to rush to his subordinate's aid, but Shusaku beat him to it and shielded the Harada twins with his own body.

"Risa! Riku! Get away from here!" the older man cried before he was impaled by at least half a dozen flying spears, killing him almost instantly. With his dying breath, he reached towards his squad leader, begging him to get away.

"Run, Makoto…"

Narumi, who had witnessed the grisly scene, gritted his teeth and cursed himself for being unable to protect his subordinates; his shield was too weak to defend them from this abominable weapon.

Resigning himself to avenge the fallen members of the MDC he had strived so hard to protect as well as saving whomever he could, Narumi turned toward Kureto in a murderous rage and readied his trident.

Alarmed, Rika tried to grab her squad leader in an attempt to deter him from making a suicidal attack.

"Makoto, no! Don't do—"

Before the blonde woman could say anything else, A spear suddenly ruptured her throat, interrupting her final words with a spray of gurgled blood, the result of letting her guard falter for trying to stop Narumi from making a suicidal attack.

Narumi stared in horror as his last remaining squad member's lifeless body hit the ground before turning back to the lieutenant general and finally charged at him like a raging bull.

"Damn you to hell!" he roared.

Not the slightest bit intimidated by Narumi's intention to cut him down, Kureto merely smirked and palmed the hilt of his sword.

"Why so angry, soldier?" he asked. "You should feel honored that your sacrifice will preserve the rest of humanity."

Narumi had no idea what Kureto meant, but he was too enraged to care. In fact, the brunette sergeant had been so focused on his intent to kill his superior officer that he no longer thought to defend himself against the spears that were flying his way.

"Sir, look out!" Yoichi cried as he and Takeshi fired as many arrows as they could to deflect the incoming spears and defend Narumi. Unfortunately, their meager efforts barely blunted the barrage coming at them.

Kimizuki and Mitsuba then stepped in to fend off the spears the archers couldn't deflect. If Daisuke wasn't already so busy protecting the Harada twins, including the injured Risa, he would have joined them.

"Shit!" Satoshi cursed before turning to Shinoa. "We have no choice, Shinoa; this is a battle we can't win. The only thing we can do now is run away!"

"I agree, Satoshi" she replied before giving the order to retreat to both of their squads. "Everyone! Take your curse stimulant pills! We're retreating!"

While both of the junior squads moved to obey her orders, Shinoa had unwittingly caught the attention of her eldest brother, whom had barely even acknowledged her existence until now.

"Don't resist, Shinoa" he called. "If you obey me, I will spare your life since you _are_ a member of the Hiragi family."

Shinoa shook her head. "I'm sorry, _nii-san,_ but I'll have to refuse. This time, you've gone too far, and I can't trust you or forgive what you've done!"

In response to his sister's defiance, Kureto's expression hardened. "Then so be it, Shinoa. You can die along with the rest of your so-called comrades. I'll give _F_ _ather_ your regards."

Instead of waiting for the spears to do their work, Kureto finally drew his sword with the intent of cutting his sister down himself. The way he saw it, he would be granting her a more honorable and glorious death by such an act.

"Come, Raimeki. Make it as quick and painless as possible. I'll grant Shinoa that much, at least."

Normally, the demon bound to his sword obeyed Kureto's orders without question. But this time, she seemed to hesitate.

 _Are you sure, Kureto? Your own little sister? Even as a demon, I find this appalling…_

"Your opinion has been duly noted, Raimeki. Now heed my order."

 _Very well…_

Now that he was certain he had his demon's cooperation, Kureto raised his sword and released a wave of gold lightning towards Shinoa.

Realizing that the lieutenant general truly intended to kill his younger sister, Satoshi prepared to run to her side. But before he could even raise his sword, a feminine voice called out from behind him.

"Fan out, Asuramaru."

Before Shinoa or Satoshi could even respond, a barrage of glowing katanas flew past them and collided with the lightning which dissipated with an aggravated crackle before it could so much as touch a strand of Shinoa's hair.

When it was finally safe to do so, both junior squad leaders finally looked over their shoulders to see Yuichiro and her adopted brother, Mikaela, quietly approach. ***3***

"Looks like we made it just in time, Mika," the ravenette said before turning her attention back to her squad leader.

"Are you all right, Shinoa?", Yuichiro asked as she extended a hand to help Shinoa up.

The purple-haired squad leader gaped at Yuichiro, too shocked at her sudden appearance to even utter a word of thanks to the other girl for saving her life just now. Even Satoshi and their subordinates in both squads were just as surprised at seeing Yuichiro and Mikaela Hyakuya suddenly show up out of nowhere. Or perhaps it just seemed that way since everyone had been too distracted by the attack Kureto Hiragi had launched on his own soldiers to notice the young pair's arrival.

When she finally found her voice, Shinoa sputtered. "Y..Yuu! What are you doing here?"

Yuichiro raised a brow. "What a strange thing to ask! Didn't _you_ and Satoshi tell me and Mika to meet you here the last time we saw each other?"

Realizing that Yuichiro was right, Shinoa felt stupid for asking. "You're right. I can't believe I totally forgot!"

"Never mind that, Shinoa. More importantly, what's going on here?"

"I don't think you want to know, Miss Hyakuya…" Satoshi said grimly.

Seeing that no one volunteered any information, both Yuichiro and Mikaela glanced around them and saw the numerous slaughtered bodies of the MDC. With the exception of Shinoa's squad, Satoshi's squad, Guren's squad, and Makoto Narumi, everyone was dead or dying with their corpses pierced through by mystical spears connected by chains to a strange box under the military's control.

"You're right," Mika agreed as he took in the grisly sight. "And it's not even by the vampires. It's humans doing this to other humans. It was a mistake to come here, Yuu-chan."

Yuichiro shook her head. "No, I'm glad we did, Mika. This is not something I can simply ignore…" Turning to Shinoa and Satoshi, she said, "Shinoa, Satoshi, I don't know what's going on but whatever it is, I want to help you put a stop to it; just tell me what to do."

"I believe I speak for Shinoa and the rest of our squads when I say that I don't think there's anything we _can_ do but run," Satoshi answered, taking the words out of Shinoa's mouth. "That is, if we want to live."

"All right, if that's what you think is best, Mika and I will cover for you and the others," Yuichiro replied.

Mika shook his head. "No, Yuu-chan. I want you to go with them; it should be no problem for me to stop these chains by myself."

"No way, Mika. I am not leaving you to do this alone," Yuu insisted stubbornly.

"No more than we can leave you and Mika to handle this alone while we run away," Shinoa cut in. "We'll all work together and fight our way out. Deal, Miss Hyakuya?"

Yuichiro grinned, glad that she and her squad leader were in agreement.

"Deal."

"Good! Get ready, everyone!" Satoshi ordered both his squad as well as Shinoa's.

No one needed to be told twice, and all ten members of both junior squads as well as Mikaela raised their weapons to prepare for anything else Kureto Hiragi planned to send their way. Narumi, who had finally come to his senses, also followed suit.

Kureto, who had been witnessing the entire spectacle in amusement, found his gaze falling on Yuichiro, whom he'd assumed had been captured or killed when he'd noticed her absence from Shinoa's squad.

"Ahh… Guren's protégé. So, you are alive, Miss Hyakuya. Your deflection of my demon's lightning attack earlier was quite impressive since you were prepared this time. But let's see how well you do against these…"

Turning to Aoi, Kureto nodded and his subordinate turned back to the huge crate.

"Do it!" she ordered.

Yuichiro had no time to ask the blonde who she was talking to when more chains tipped with spears busted out of the huge crate and flew towards her as well as her allies.

"Shit! What the hell is in that crate?!" Yuu demanded as she quickly raised her sword and tapped into Asuramaru's power to enhance her speed and reaction time to fend off as many as possible.

"It doesn't matter; we have to stop them!" Mika answered as he used his own sword and vampiric reflexes to defend himself as well as his sister's squad mates.

Kureto whistled as he watched Yuichiro and Mikaela with interest. "You've gotten a lot better since the last time I saw you, Miss Hyakuya," he praised while ignoring the efforts of the rest of Shinoa and Satoshi's squads to fend off the chains flying at them. "I may still be able to make some use of you, after all."

"Shall we capture her then, sir?" Aoi asked from behind him.

Kureto shook his head. "No need," he answered in a low voice. "Her mentor will do that for us. Just let the girl be for now."

To the surprise of everyone, Kureto finally raised his hand and the spears and chains whipping onslaught abruptly ceased and clattered to the ground, making Yuichiro assume that the lieutenant general had chosen to cease or could not continue the attack. But whatever the reason was, she was going to take full advantage of it and looked over her shoulder to Shinoa and Satoshi.

"They stopped their attacks! Now's our chance to run!" Yuichiro cried as if she were the leader of both squads instead of them.

Not like it mattered since everyone knew she was right and was about to make a break for it only to find, to their horror, that the vampires have finally caught up to them; the elegant attire worn by their front line suggested they were being led by nobles, including a petite, pink-haired female vampire in a short black dress with white ruffles and detached sleeves.

"Oh, shit! _Now_ _,_ what are we gonna do?!" Kimizuki cursed.

"Why now of all times?!" Narumi added, forgetting his rage towards Kureto now that he realized he and his allies had a bigger problem at hand.

At first, everyone assumed that the lieutenant general had something to do with the vampire advance but quickly found that Kureto was just as surprised by the enemy arrival as they were.

"Do not be afraid!" he ordered the soldiers behind him and possibly the junior squads he intended to eliminate as well. "Today, it will be us who will subjugate the vampires! Make way for the future of humanity!"

The soldiers who were still loyal to Kureto cheered and rushed forward to carry out their commander's order to do battle with the advancing vampire army.

"Shit, he's gotta be fucking kidding!" Yuichiro cursed. "He knows we're still outnumbered; I'm betting that bastard is trying to buy time for whatever he has up his sleeve!"

"So, do we fight or run?" Mikaela asked as he turned to Shinoa and Satoshi.

Before either squad leader could answer, they heard gun fire and saw several white tiger wraith bullets fly past them to vaporize the vampires that were starting to close the distance between them. Turning, they saw Shinya as well as the rest of Guren's squad finally make their move.

"We'll cover you!" Shinya cried as he took aim to fire again. "Shinoa! Satoshi! Take your squads and run away from here as fast as you can! And Narumi, I want you to go with them too!"

"Understood, sir!" he shot back. As the elder squad leader, Narumi knew that it was now his responsibility to guide Shinoa and Satoshi's squads to safety. "This way, kids!" he called to them while making a gesture in the opposite direction.

Although she loathed to leave Shinya as well as the rest of Guren's squad, Yuichiro knew they were more than capable of taking care of themselves and obeyed. Following Narumi's lead, she was determined to protect her other squad mates by running ahead of them to strike down any vampire that started to get too close. In fact, Yuichiro had been so focused on keeping the enemy away from her friends that she failed to notice she was starting to run a little too far ahead of them, even passing Narumi, and exposing herself to more danger.

Alarmed, Kimizuki called out to Yuichiro in a desperate attempt to get her to slow down.

"Hey, Yuu! Slow down, you're pressing too far ahead of us!" he yelled.

Unable to hear the pink-haired boy over the din, Yuichiro continued forward without stopping or slowing down.

 _I'm definitely not going to let any of my friends die if I can help it!_ The ravenette thought before she finally noticed a lone figure in the distance. ***4***

"What? Who the hell…?" Yuichiro began before the mysterious person stepped closer, enabling her to finally recognize him.

"Hey, Yuu. How've you been?" he asked in a calm and casual manner.

Yuichiro gasped as she finally stopped in her tracks and lowered her weapon.

 _No…it can't be…_

"Guren?"

 **Footnotes:**

 **1\. After the apocalypse, there have been a small minority of humans who managed to evade the vampires and survive on the surface world while others were taken underground like Fem!Yuu and Mikaela. It is safe to assume that those who survived above ground were forced to salvage anything remotely useful or editable in any way to survive, including car and airplane parts.**

 **2\. Like Kitana of the Mortal Kombat game series, one of Risa Harada's special abilities are generating air waves with her war fans to repel weapons as well as using their sharp blades in melee combat. The fans can also be thrown to attack enemies and fly back to her like boomerangs.**

 **3\. Unlike male!Yuu's dramatic entrance in the canon version, I had fem!Yuu and Mika enter the battle more quietly to give them the advantage of surprise.**

 **4\. Unlike male!Yuu, fem!Yuu is normally more cautious in battle and is likely to get reckless if anyone doubts her ability to fight because of her gender or when she has the desire to protect someone. In this scenario, it is her allies in both Shinoa and Satoshi's squads.**


End file.
